Fourth Circumstance
by haoryuka
Summary: After his defeat at the Land of the Stars, what might happen now to Hao Asakura? Read and review, please. I don't own Naruto or Shaman King
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: First Chance in a Different World

A dark and deep chuckle echoed throughout hell. Such a malevolent chuckle can only belong to one being and everyone in hell knows the owner. The chuckle belongs to no other than the king of hell itself, Taizan Kuzun. But it is extremely rare for the king to be amused or entertained much less laugh or even smile.

Ah, the very reason why is at his very presence, Asakura Hao. This human being is famous all throughout hell and even heaven. He is the only mortal to have complete control over the five elements namely fire, water, earth, wood and metal as well as techniques of the Yin and Yang. He is also the only one to make a contract with Taizan Kuzun as a living being something that not even the dead are able to accomplish. Having a contract with the king of hell gives Hao the capability of reviving the dead and even control over the circumstances of his reincarnation. Other than that, he also claims that he has time in the palm of his hands as he can see the future and read other people's minds. But the most famous act that he had only recently done which can make others consider him a god is that he had taken the power of the Great Spirits in not the ordinary means of winning the shaman fight. He did it forcibly.

"But still," Taizan Kuzun suddenly talked. "even with the power of all the spirits the Spirit of Fire consumed including the Great Spirits themselves, you were defeated by one measly human who doesn't even have the age of a human adult."

These words went directly to Hao's heart making it suffer more than what it is already experiencing. He gritted his teeth and balled his hands into fist in great frustration. Taizan Kuzun smirked at this sight.

"You are again loosing your calm, boy. That's the reason why you lose and died for the third time. Even if we say that all of the other shamans contributed a part of their own power to that runt in order for you to be defeated, it should not be enough to even rival the power of the Great Spirits. Your anger is the actual reason why you lose. The one who truly defeated you was no other than yourself." The voice of the hell king sounded like it was mocking the mighty human but actually it was merely telling the truth.

Loosing a cool head is the greatest mistake a shaman can make. This applies to all beings, too. Shaman, once driven by their sheer emotions, especially anger, losses their entire control over their furyoku making them use it more than what is actually needed. Most of these excess furyoku is not actually used as they are merely wasted. Thus, they exhaust faster than calm shamans. Anger also severely weakens an oversoul's structure making it more brittle and easier to destroy. This have been proven several times by Ren Tao, a couple of times by Yoh's other friends and once by Yoh and Hao themselves.

Once Hao calmed down a bit, Taizan Kuzun again spoke in his dark and powerful voice.

"I have a proposition for you, Hao" making Hao raised his head and an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Continue" he said.

"You shall be reincarnated in another world far different from where you were born. A world suitable for someone like you to live. A world where the elements and nature are on their prime and remains untainted by anyone's corruption" explained the king of hell making Hao more curious.

"I am not going to tell you any more than that. You have to know more about this world by yourself. So do you agree?" Hao contemplated on this for a few minutes before replying.

"What do you want in exchange? I know this will be benefiting you in one way or another since this is a _proposition_" he spoke.

"Well, nothing really troublesome. I just want you to drop your ambition of making your home world a shaman only world" Taizan Kuzun said in a matter of fact tone. Now this really makes Hao snapped but before he can even shout, he was silenced by Taizan Kuzun's one hand.

"Now listen here first, boy. It is true that your ambition is nice and all but that is only if it is possible." Hao gave the king a confused look.

"Look, Mother Nature has practically no chance of survival in that world because of the humans' cruelty and stupidity. I agree with you on that one. She will die there soon, perhaps in a couple of centuries or maybe even after a few decades."

"Then that gives me more reason to go back and destroy the entire humanity" Hao reasoned out in a loud voice.

"Again you are loosing your cool boy. Calm down first before I continue my explanation." This is effective as it really calmed Hao a bit.

"Now as I am saying, Mother Nature will not last any longer there anymore because of the humans but no worries, boy. You don't have to there to do the heavy work of destroying those pathetic humans. They will do it themselves" Taizan Kuzun spoke with absolute malevolence and a small smirk.

"The cruelty that causes Mother Nature to die will be the same cruelty that will cause their downfall. Although not immediately, they will surely fall and will suffer the consequences of their actions for a long time before completely crumbling." Hao relaxed even more after hearing that and now has his infamous smile back on his lips.

"Well then, if that's the case I guess I can accept your offer" Hao stood up and backed to his usual laid back self.

"Excellent. When you are ready, tell me and I'll take you to your new home world" Taizan Kuzun said while standing up ready to end their meeting.

"I will go there now" Hao said straightforward. Taizan Kuzun is not surprised at this attitude of his. Hao likes to have fun but when it comes to business, he doesn't waste any time.

"Very well then" Taizan Kuzun raised his right hand with his palm facing Hao and started to command his energy to take the thousand year old human up to the living world. His energy slowly surrounds Hao and in an instant he disappeared.

"It is done" the king of hell said particularly to no one.

"You forgot to tell him about what you truly want him to do, what _we _want him to do" another mighty voice almost equal to that of Taizan Kuzun spoke. It sounded like it came from all directions.

"Knowing about Hao's attitude, he doesn't need any orientation about _that_" the king replied.

"What do you mean?" the voice asked curiously.

"I can't blame you for not knowing him too much since he's the only human you can't fetch. What I mean is once he knows of _their_ existence, I'm sure that he will get _them_ without anyone of us pushing him to. And besides, you are going to make sure that he will know about _them_, right?"

"It is the first step for us to eliminate _them_. I know about the boy's power and I know it's the only way to get rid of _them_ but after everything is done, how much possibility is there that he will turn up like _them_?"

"I'm telling you, none."

"And how sure is that?" the voice asked discontented.

"Just like what I said, you know little about the boy. Why not watch him in his fourth life in order for you to know him more, Shinigami-dono?"

The Death God appeared at Taizan Kuzun's back, his eyes staring seriously at the king.

"I will watch him but not to know him more. Having too much power drives mortals insane so should he shows signs of insanity like those of the bijus, I am going to eliminate him and you will help me." It is more like a command from the Death God rather than a statement.

"What about the others?" Taizan Kuzun asked.

"I've already told them and they already agreed. If our powers will not be enough, they will come to our aide."

"You are being paranoid, Shinigami-dono but how come those five agreed with you" the king said crossing his arms together on his chest, hanging his head low, closing his eyes and started thinking. A vein popped in Shinigami's head.

"And what do you mean by that?!"

"Those five know the boy as much as I do but I guess I now know why they agreed and I also agree with you now. It's very logical to watch over the boy since he is only human. Although powerful, he is very prone to insanity" he said with a grin.

"You don't look and sound like you really agreed. Really, you are the same with those guys."

"I already said several times, you know little about the boy and you are just being paranoid."

"Enough of this conversation. Yondaime Hokage is already starting the summoning ritual. I have to go and remember, Taizan Kuzun. You already agreed so you are going to help once I call for you" and with that, the Death God left without waiting for the hell king's reply.

"Paranoid but really, the boy can be quite troublesome if he ends up like them. I'll just have to see what will happen" Taizan Kuzun thought as he gets back to his work.

"Goddamn paperwork" he grumbled.

"Sarutobi-sama, I'm leaving him to you" said one weakening voice of Yondaime Hokage. The nightlong fight with Kyuubi no Kitsune finally ended with Yondaime sealing the great beast inside a newborn baby. He summoned the Death God in order to make a seal strong enough to hold Kyuubi but in return, he must die.

"Don't worry my successor. He's in good hands" Sandaime Hokage said trying his best to hold his tears back.

"Make sure that he's seen as a hero of this village. He is the true hero in the fight against Kyuubi. Well then Sarutobi-sama, I'll see in the afterlife." And with that, Yondaime breathe his last breath.

Sandaime can't hold back any longer. He just let his tears fall and as if the heavens are giving their condolence for the death of the Fourth, heavy rains dropped from the still dark sky.

"That was really something. I never thought that these kinds of things occur in this world" said one Asakura Hao inside his mind.

"In any case, I think this world really fits me. Humans are using nature and the elements quite well and I'm not seeing any signs of overuse of any kind of technology at all. But the most intriguing is that beast. I never imagined that such a being exists with so much power. It probably has more power than even the Great Spirits and to top it all off, it's sealed inside me. I think Taizan Kuzun left out some important imformation about this world." Just then, he remembered something that the hell king said.

"_I'm not going to tell you more than that. You have to find more information about that world yourself_" he remembered the hell king said.

"He's not much of a help really. I guess I'm just going to have a better look at that beast" he thought and took a walk in his mind. After a couple of minutes of searching, he finally found what he is looking for. He came upon a huge, fancy cage with only a piece of paper holding the doors. The kanji for seal is written on the paper.

"Such a magnificent seal, nothing less is expected from the Death God" he said out loud.

"**Who goes there?**" a voice 100 demonic came out of the cage.

"Here goes nothing."

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Tell me what you think of this one. Give some comments first before suggesting anything I can do for this story.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The New Flames

"He is still not in sight but the air is already suffocating. This beast is one hell of a powerful being. Good thing I'm all experience in these kinds of atmosphere" said one Asakura Hao to himself after he heard the great Kyuubi no Kitsune's voice.

"**I am asking. WHO GOES THERE?!**" Kyuubi's voice intensified as he was not properly answered.

After he spoke, he finally took out his head out from the darkness that's covering him. Blood red eyes and fur with the color of blazing flames greeted the thousand year old shaman. The eyes looked around until it fell on the bars and Hao himself.

"**What is this place and who are you?**" the eyes' owner asked.

"It seems that the sealing process gave your head a good knock making you forget some of the events earlier" Hao replied with a smirk and trying to act as tough as possible at the front of the great beast.

'_Damn, this guy is big! Its head is almost as big as that of the Spirit of Fire!_' his thoughts quickly followed.

All of the events earlier flooded Kyuubi's head in a flash. He can remember all of the puny humans whimpering, crying and shouting in fear at his sight. He can remember more humans rushing at him with sheer bravery to take him on and he can remember one blonde haired human on a giant toad nearly his size preparing something nasty for him. And he was quite surprised when the human suddenly summoned the Death God himself. Then he remembered the Death God pulling him towards the human. The Kyuubi struggled but the pull is far too strong. When the fox was close enough, he noticed that that human is carrying something, a bundle the size of a human torso. A little closer and he learned that the bundle is actually a small human, a baby. They are going to seal the great beast in a baby! Then darkness and here the Kyuubi was, inside a cage inside a baby.

"**So this means that I'm inside a human baby's mind. But there is something that isn't right. How come a baby has an adult mind?! And you still haven't answered the other question. Who are you?**" he asked threatening Hao like he can do anything in the current state that he is.

"I believe I only have to tell you my name, oh great beast" Hao said sarcastically.

"My name is Asakura Hao." The name made Kyuubi's eyes narrow.

"**I know that name. Asakura Hao, from what I've heard, you are the human who manage to take control of the five elements of nature and the Yin-Yang. You are also the only one to make contract with Taizan Kuzun as a living being. Also five hundred years ago, you are said to have stolen the Spirit of Fire from Patch and just recently took forcibly the powers of the Great Spirits**" Kyuubi stated.

"Well I'm quite honored that a powerful being like you knows me. My name must have been spread all throughout other worlds" Hao said sarcastically.

"**To tell you human, I'm not honored to meet you.**"

"Oww, that's too bad."

"**So you finally got sick of being reincarnated in your home world and then later be killed that's why you chose to be reincarnated here.**"

"Half right and half wrong. Yes, I got sick of my home world but I was not the one to choose this world. Taizan Kuzun did that for me." Kyuubi's eyes narrowed more but then flashed a smirk baring his razor sharp fangs.

"**I see. So the higher ups have finally sent someone who will do their dirty job for them**" Kyuubi said and then chuckled.

"I don't see anything funny here so why are you laughing? And what do you mean I'm doing something dirty for the gods?" Hao asked becoming a little confused. Having the gods in a conversation of this kind is kind of weird or more likely, ominous.

"**It seems that you are not my executioner or rather you are not told of what you are to do**" Kyuubi said chuckling even more.

Hao is becoming more and more confused at what the nine tailed fox is saying. What does it mean about him becoming its executioner and why did it say that he is doing it because the gods told him to do so? These are some of the questions that Hao is asking to himself and he needs answers, right now. There's something that Taizan Kuzun didn't tell him before he was reincarnated in this world, definitely. Just then he remembered the king of hell telling him what he wanted in exchange for his reincarnation in this world.

"_You don't really have to do something troublesome. You only have to forget your home world and you ambitions for it._"

"_He could have not said it out of pity for me or out of his own hatred for my home world. He could have not reincarnated me in this world just because of those reasons. He really wanted me to do something, a mission that he didn't even give me a small briefing_" he said to himself. He looked up to Kyuubi's head again and examined it along with its entire body. He smirked when he realized something.

"I see. An independent being like you possessing extreme amounts of power may cause something undesirable in the space-time continuum. So if they can't get you to work with them then you better be eliminated both physically and spiritually and because of my Spirit of Fire's ability to consume other souls….."

"**you are the perfect candidate to become my executioner**" Kyuubi continued for him.

"**So you finally realized why you are sent here. It is not just for your own leisure but also for a task too troublesome for even a divine being to do. You see, I'm too powerful for even Shinigami to take on. Sure all gods can team up and defeat me but they will be severely weakened more than enough for the **_**others**_** to kill them like sick little puppies. But what makes them think that a measly human like you will be able to eliminate me? Even if I'm inside this cage and even if you possess all of those powers, you still stood no chance against me.**"

"_He is right. The Great Spirits are just as strong as any of the gods. To top it all, the Spirit of Fire lost half of its power from its journey from hell. It will take sometime before it regains all of its powers. Damn, what was Taizan Kuzun thinking when he gave me this task without my knowledge, of course? And what does he mean by others?_" Hao thought.

Just then in hell, we can hear Taizan Kuzun's loud sneeze.

"Damn, how come I caught a cold when it's so hot here in hell!" he said out loud while rubbing his nose. And we will be going back to Kyuubi's prison and his warden.

"_Well I guess I can wait until the Spirit of Fire is strong enough to beat Kyuubi. This seal looks strong enough to hold it for a few decades. That should be enough time_" Hao thought. Just then he noticed something in the seal patterns.

"_So this containment seal doubles as an absorption seal also allowing the host to use the captive's chakra like it is its own. I may be able to pull this one off without waiting for years before I become strong enough. Better early than late. Alright then, here goes nothing._"

Hao took a step forward and walked right into the cage all the while looking up with a big smirk plastered on his face at Kyuubi. This confused the beast but then soon gave off its own smirk.

"**You are a big fool human. What makes think that you can walk inside this cage and come out alive and well? You know very well that you are within my range**" Kyuubi stated.

"For someone as powerful as you, you surely are dumb. You are still not noticing something important here. But that's okay because that will be my advantage in eliminating you. Prepare for your final battle, Kyuubi no Kitsune" Hao said with confidence as he summoned the Spirit of Fire. It blazed with its golden flames and towered over the fox.

"**I should be the one telling you that, human**" Kyuubi said baring his fangs and stood in a crouching position preparing for a battle right after another.

Meanwhile Kazan, the god of fire, is watching over his most beloved village in this world, Konohagakure no sato. He watch as the villagers help the medic nins help the wounded ninjas. Dead bodies are also being gathered in order them to be given a proper burial. Some corpses are hard to gather since they are shattered to bits by the beast that had attacked the village a few hours ago. He wanted to help defend the village even by just sending a little support by powering up the Konoha nins' katon jutsus. Of course, the gods have a law concerning divine intervention as they are not allowed to just bust in the humans' lives without any appropriate reason. But since they are talking about the Kyuubi here, they are allowed to intervene whenever they want and in whatever way they want. But Kazan's comrades have other plans for the Kyuubi.

He was very hesitant at first since he knows that even a divine seal will not hold a biju for long but when he heard Hao's involvement in their plan, he considered giving it a shot. With Hao now possessing the powers of the Great Spirits and the Hakke no Fuin Shiki and Shisho Fuin giving him access to Kyuubi's chakra, he can face the other bijus and consume their souls with only marginal difficulty. And when he consumes at least three of the other bijus, he will gain more than enough power to annihilate the Kyuubi.

Kazan just hopes that that will happen before the seals are weak enough for Kyuubi to break them. But he's not worrying about that matter that much since Hao possesses _that_ bloodline limit proven to be effective at subduing Kyuubi's chakra. The gods just hope that he will awaken it as soon as possible as it will be invaluable in their plans.

We now go back to the god of fire watching Konohagakure no sato. The first for the gods' plan had been executed successfully though it costs many human lives, broken hearts and families. Everything seems to be going fine for Kazan as they are now ready to execute the next step when…..

"Kill the demon now!!!" shouted one villager.

"It's in its weakest state! We should use this opportunity to finally eliminate that demon!" shouted another. This was followed by shouts of agreement from a good number of villagers as well as Konoha ninjas gathered at the front of the Hokage tower. The commotion really got the fire god's attention.

"_Huh? What the heck are they shouting about?_" ask Kazan to himself. He looked at the direction of the Hokage tower and saw one of the most horrifying sights he had ever seen, a huge mob of people at front of the Hokage tower shouting and demanding the life of a demon or at least its jinchuriki, a baby.

The baby has bright blonde hair and is currently sleeping. But the most noticeable feature of the baby is that is has whisker marks on its cheeks. The Sandaime Hokage had announced earlier that the Kyuubi was all but dead and the Yondaime Hokage gave his life to seal the demon in a newborn baby which is what the Sandaime is holding now and, unfortunately, what the villagers want to kill. The baby's name? Uzumaki Naruto.

Some villagers even tried to rush at the baby and tried to stab it with something sharp (who knows what they are using) but the old hokage skillfully used Kanashibari no jutsu to stop them dead on their tracks. ANBU finally came and tried to contain the crowd but in their minds even they wanted to snatch the baby and kill it.

"What's the matter with you?! Don't you realize that this baby is not the demon but only its container? He should be treated as a real hero for carrying such a heavy burden" Sarutobi pleaded the villagers but all landed on deaf ears as more villagers join the angry mob.

"_Oh boy, now things are getting troublesome. Well this has to be expected on human nature. They need a scapegoat to bend their anger on but they should also use their brains. Don't they even suspect that Kyuubi will be freed once its host is killed? Do something Saindaime Hokage and prevent any mishaps from happening! If you will not I'll do something myself_" Kazan thought all the while observing the situation and preparing for a divine intervention.

"Alright that's enough!!!" Sandaime shouted with chakra enforced voice enough to silence everyone in a one mile radius.

"I hereby declare a law that this matter should not be mentioned on other people outside Konoha as well as on the younger generations of this village. Also none of you will harm the boy without any lawful reasons. Should anyone disobey these laws will be punished. Sentence is immediate execution."

The sudden declaration of the new laws made everyone back up their plans to kill the jinchuriki but that is only for now.

"_Nice job there, old man. That should hold them off for a while. Now let's take a look on what Hao-kun is doing now. He's probably having a conversation with Kyuubi_" Kazan thought and went to have a look on what's going on inside the seal.

What greeted the fire god is the most unexpected event ever happened in the day. The Spirit of Fire battling it all out with Kyuubi no Kitsune. At first it seems that Kyuubi have the upper hand as he is on the offensive. He charged at the golden colored spirit which evades by jumping upwards. Already suspecting the movement, Kyuubi sent his tails now covered by blood red flames at his opponent.

The Spirit of Fire evaded seven of the tails and slapped away the other two. Flipping in mid-air, he landed behind Kyuubi but his opponent had already turned around and fired a huge stream of flames towards him. Coming up with a countermeasure, he formed a barrier out of his own version of flames blocking the opponent's attack.

As the fight goes on, the Spirit of Fire finally gains good footing and started his own offensive. Charging at speeds seemingly impossible for someone as big as him, he throws a downward punch which was evaded by Kyuubi by jumping a little bit backwards. Spirit of Fire throws a following kick aimed at his opponent's leg that in turn jumped upward. He pursued it and throws an uppercut.

But the Spirit of Fire doesn't seem to be the only one to move at high speeds. Kyuubi suddenly blurred out of sight and reappeared again at the divine spirit's back. Preparing for his biggest attack yet, he inhaled a good amount of air and then released a huge stream of fire toward his opponent. The spirit already predicted this attack as he prepared his counterattack. Gathering flames on both hands, he also shoots his own stream of fire rivaling that of Kyuubi's in both size and heat intensity. The two flames collided and fought for dominance.

"_What the heck is going on? This isn't part of the plan! Why is Hao already fighting Kyuubi?!_" asked Kazan to himself.

"Oh, so you are also watching this, Kazan. That's good. The others are watching" a voice said to him telepathically.

"Taizan Kuzun? What the heck is happening is here?!"

"I thought you are watching. Hao and Kyuubi are fighting" came the simple answer from the king of hell.

"I know that, stupid! Why is Hao fighting him so early? This isn't a part of the plan. He's not following the outline."

"Well that's basically because he doesn't know of the plan" Taizan Kuzun said casually.

"What the heck does that mean?!" Kazan had been asking that for quite a few times now.

"Ehehehe" Taizan Kuzun laughed sheepishly. "I didn't tell him of the plan. Heck, I didn't tell the mission or even the existence of the bijus"

"WHAT?!?!?!"

"Well you know Hao. Once he sees a good source of power, he'll readily grab on to it _whenever he sees an opportunity._" The king of hell gave more emphasis on the last five words that the fire god caught.

"I know."

"But still Hao is taking a big risk" said another voice telepathically. The owner of the voice is obvious for the two other gods as he is another god himself, Shinigami.

"The seal is still fresh and weak. It will not provide Hao with enough demonic chakra to defeat or even match all of Kyuubi's tails but he can at least stand toe to toe with Kyuubi using eight tails worth of his power" he explained further.

"That will not be enough. He's in a life threatening situation now but that also means he might be able to awaken _that_ bloodline limit. That will provide him with great help" Kazan said hopefully.

"Indeed but he still will not be able to fight Kyuubi once he use 100 percent of his power. The only way for him to win now is to have the most advance form of that bloodline limit which is currently impossible to acquire" Shinigami explained more.

"He can acquire it now" Kazan spoke surely of what will happen. The other two gods turned to him confusion written to their faces. Then suddenly, something clicked in their heads.

"You are not thinking of….."

"It's okay, right. We are talking about a biju here and the most powerful one amongst them so it's okay for a god to do something. And besides I'm only going to do a little thing. You two have already done something for the plan. Now, it's my turn." With that, the god of fire proceeded with his plan.

Going back to the fight inside the seal, the two fighters have separated themselves from one another after a deadlock. Then they look at each other warily.

"_**Something is not right here. He should not be this strong to last against me. The Spirit of Fire should only have half of its power from its journey from hell yet it looks like it has more power than it should have**_" Kyuubi thought. Just then something clicked in his mind.

"_**More power than it should have?**_" He took a look around him and noticed that seal absorbing his chakra and transferring it to his opponent. His eyes widened in horror.

"So you finally noticed that I'm using your chakra all along. Took you long enough" Hao mocked. In truth he was actually more worried than relieved.

"_The seal isn't giving me enough chakra from the demon for me to defeat it. Maybe because it's still newly established, its expected performance is not met. I need a boost in power. I can feel this fox is still not going all out. Damn it! I need more power, now!_" he thought just before he heard Kyuubi chuckling again.

"**I'm impressed that a human like you is still alive after fighting me for this long. But you will not last any longer**" it said and started channeling more chakra forcing Hao and the Spirit of Fire to fall on one knee because of so much pressure.

"_I knew it! Damn, how come I've never heard of a being like this?! His existence should have been known to any world because of his power. Damn it!_" Hao thought just as when the Kyuubi started charging at him again. Time seemed to slow down as the demon approaches its prey.

"_I need more power!_"

"_A little more, Hao_" thought Kazan.

"_I need more power!_"

"_Now!!!_" Kazan signaled and he shot a small orb of divine energy from his right index finger towards Hao. It hit the thousand year old human just before Kyuubi comes lounging at him.

"**Die human!**" the demon roars.

Suddenly, as if Hao read its movements, the Spirit of Fire did a 360 turn to the right with its one foot used as a pivot and delivered a solid straight punch at the Kyuubi's body sending the demon flying.

"_**What?! But how did he do that?! He should not be able to dodge my attack much less counterstrike**_" it thought as it stood up. When he looked at Hao, he noticed something different with his eyes. It is now red with a three pronged shuriken mark on it. The demon's eyes widened when he realized what had just happened.

"_**Mangekyou Sharingan!**_"

"_Successful_" said Kazan to himself.

Hao's eyes are not the only ones that changed. The color of the Spirit of Fire is now pitch-black with crimson lines replacing the former white lines. Hao himself is quite surprised with the sudden change. All of a sudden just before Kyuubi bites him, his vision became strange like as if time slowed down around him that's why he was able to dodge the demon's last attack. He was also surprised that the Spirit of Fire is now black.

"_I don't really know what happened but this is great! This is the power boost I need!_" Hao thought.

"_**So his new body has the blood of that cursed clan running through its veins. This is an unexpected turn of events. Normally, I wouldn't worry about facing even the entire clan but facing a member as strong as him is another matter. I have to finish this fight with now. The longer it this fight goes on, the more disadvantages I will be in**_" Kyuubi thought and started to focus his chakra for one final attack.

"So you're planning on finishing this fight already. What a coincidence. I'm thinking of the same thing" Hao stated and clapped his hands together.

"_**Kurobina!**_"

The Spirit of Fire underwent a few more changes. It gained two blasters attached to its hips and a pair of wings resembling that of a dragon's.

"Now come" Hao ushered his opponent. He really didn't have to say that as Kyuubi already breathed white hot flames from his mouth towards him. Using its wings, the Spirit of Fire blocked the attack but not without feeling its extreme pressure. The wings moved away but Kyuubi wasn't anywhere in sight.

"**You're finished!**" Kyuubi's voice came. He was right above Hao ready to tear him to pieces! But just before his claws reach it target, Hao and the Spirit of fire disappear in a black flash.

"**What?!**" Kyuubi said as he landed on the grounded.

"Up here fox!" came Hao's voice as the Spirit of Fire fired its blasters. The attack was too fast for the Kyuubi to evade. The demon took a direct hit and a humongous explosion occurred. After the dust settled, the Spirit of Fire is seen holding the great Kyuubi no Kitsune by its neck.

"It is over, demon. You are mine. Now let's see what you taste like" Hao's final mock to the demon came as the spirit of fire opened its teeth filled mouth and started eating.

I bet no one read chapter one of my story as I received no reviews so far.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Let's Begin a New Life

"He barely made it out there alive" Shinigami stated. He is now with his other god comrades in a divine conference.

"It is all thanks to my intervention that he was successful in eliminating Kyuubi" Kazan said proudly.

"Yeah, you did well in awakening his Mangekyou Sharingan and combining it to his other bloodline limit" Hikari, the god of light and creation, said.

"But his recent actions are certainly not part of our plans. What the heck really happened back there?" he asked.

"Well basically his actions are due to his lack of proper orientation of his mission" Shinigami answered while slipping a few glares directed at a certain hell king. .

"And what does that mean? Didn't Taizan Kuzun give Hao a briefing before he got reincarnated?"

"Why not ask Taizan Kuzun himself?" Everyone, with the exception of Shinigami and Kazan, looked at the King of Hell waiting for an answer.

"Well yeah, I didn't give him a briefing for his mission" Again everyone, with the exception of the two before mentioned gods, looked at him with eyes as wide as dinner plates. They were about to give Taizan Kuzun a nice pounding of his life for being an almost complete moron for almost making Hao screw his unmentioned mission but they were stopped by his further explanations.

"Well you guys know, except for you Hikari, that Hao is somewhat a 'power-hungry-yet-far-from-insanity-like-that-of-the-bijus' person. Besides, after his defeat at the Land of the Stars by a bunch of midget humans, I'm sure Hao is more determined than ever to become stronger."

The four other elemental gods nodded in understanding. Hao, being able to manipulate all of the elements of nature, holds a pretty nice space in the elemental gods' hearts. They all know and understand his ways of thinking though they don't agree at all of them. They also like him for his love for nature but not to its extreme levels as it's one of the reasons why he was driven to madness.

Hao's love for nature is also a reason why he was transferred to this world as the gods know that his insanity will be contained and will eventually vanish. This is also a reason why he was the perfect candidate as a 'biju exterminator'. Though he will gain power far greater than any of the gods, he will not become like the bijus themselves for as long as he lives in a world where Mother Nature and the element are dominant.

"Well I can understand that" Hikari said while nodding.

"But still, I believe that we should tell him about his mission we should tell him that now" Tsunami, the god of water, stated.

"Indeed that is correct" Jishin, the god of earth, agreed.

"I agree, too. There are still eight more bijus to eliminate and I believe that you, Taizan Kuzun, didn't tell Hao of their existence" Tatsumaki, the god of wind, stated.

"If everyone here is in an agreement then allow me to descend to the earth and give Hao an orientation" Dageki, the god of lightning, volunteered. But before he can even stand up, Taizan Kuzun stopped him.

"That won't be necessary, Dageki. I'm sure that Hao will learn about them pretty soon. It is within his knowledge that there are more beings like Kyuubi that possess great amounts of power. Besides, we shouldn't be worrying about the bijus for now. All of them are now sealed within a jinchuriki."

"Which makes them harder to find for Hao" Shinigami stated.

"I believe that's better than letting them free and lay waste on wherever they go."

"I agree on that one, Taizan Kuzun. But the Sanbi remains without a host and let's not forget the condition of Ichibi no Shukaku's seal. It's still incomplete and I believe that that monk did it on purpose" Kazan reminded the rest.

"Those two shouldn't make us worry either. Sanbi is the least hostile, though also the dumbest, among the bijus and Shukaku is the weakest. The humans should be able to handle them well without our intervention."

"But let us not forget about our agreement earlier. Once Hao shows….." but even before Shinigami finishes his sentence, Taizan Kuzun interrupted him.

"Yeah, we all know that. You should not remind us all the time. Now I believe this conference is over so I will go back to my office in hell. I still have lots of paperwork to do." And with that, the king of hell left. Remembering that they also have their own paperwork to do, the other gods left in a hurry.

_Time Skip: Four Years Later_

"Get the demon!" shouted one villager.

"We should kill it now!" shouted another.

"Don't let it live any longer!" shouted yet another villager.

Tenth of October, four years after the most powerful biju, Kyuubi no Kitsune, attacked Konohagakure no Sato. This day is supposed to be the day of a celebration as it is also the fourth anniversary of Kyuubi's defeat, though not death, by the hands of Yondaime Hokage (of course for those who know, Shinigami should not be forgotten as he also gave a big deal of help). Though for those who lost their loved ones, it is a day of mourning. For some others, it is the day to get their revenge and for one Uzumaki Naruto, who is actually Asakura Hao, it is the day when he should be most careful. (You guys should know what I mean.)

'_Damn it. This is the fourth time I got reincarnated and yet I'm still hated_' Naruto thought to himself while running down in an alleyway. He got great speed for a four year old child (What else can you expect from Asakura Hao?).

'_Though it's a good thing I'm hated because of that fox and not because I'm so god damn talented._' The thousand year old human surely got a lot of pride.

"I spotted the demon! Everyone, follow me!"

'_Oh crap_' Naruto thought and ran faster turning right on a block which, unfortunately has a dead end.

'_Piece of cake_' he thought and activated Mangekyou Sharingan. He summoned the black flames of Amaterasu and teleported to his house lying deep in a forest within Konoha. The orphanage didn't take good care of him as the manager and workers know who he really is. No, not that they know he is the reincarnation of the most feared shaman. So he improvised and left the orphanage when his body is capable of walking and running. With the help of the Spirit of Fire and his shikigamis, they located a nice clearing in a forest not far from the main sector of Konoha and built a simple house enough for Naruto's taste.

The clearing has a lake at its east side filled with clear waters and a variety of healthy fishes giving Naruto an unlimited supply of food and water to drink. On the remaining sides of the clearing are a variety of trees. Some have timbers sturdy enough to hold on in a storm. These timbers made up the majority of Naruto's house. There are also many trees bearing different kinds of fruits so in case Naruto gets tired of eating seafood, he can pick some and help himself.

Sure, living all by yourself in a forest like that of a hermit is kind of lonely but for Naruto, he is not really alone. The Spirit of Fire and his shikigamis are always there to accompany him and in his current home, he feels much closer to nature than living in the village itself.

As for his mastery of the Mangekyou Sharingan, right after the day of his fight with Kyuubi no Kitsune, he summoned five shikigamis and sent them out, each going in a different direction, to do some scouting though it is more like they are stealing information. It startled Naruto so much when the Spirit of Fire suddenly changed its color to black in the middle of the fight against Kyuubi and when his vision suddenly gained so much clarity that he feels like the passage of time slowed down dramatically.

After a few days of scouting, he found valuable information about Konoha like its history, people, past leaders and government. He also gained some important information about the village's neighboring countries, the five great ninja villages and other shinobi nations. But one of the intriguing facts that he learned about his new home world is the use of chakra.

He knows the definition of chakra as he too uses chakra almost as often as he uses furyoku. He just doesn't know that there is a world where beings rely on chakra as much as humans in his former home world rely on technology. Sure, humans in this world also use technology but to a very limited extent that they would just prefer using their feet than riding vehicles as a mode of transportation. He is very glad that he got reincarnated in this world though he was hated by villagers in Konoha.

He was also surprised that most prominent chakra users are enlisted in the military as ninjas. He didn't imagine that ninjas will have another meaning. He is also planning in joining Konoha's military as a ninja despite the fact that it will be troublesome with the majority of the village hating him.

What really intrigued him was the existence of bloodline limits in this world, one of which is the Sharingan which he now possesses. Only members of certain clans can acquire and use bloodline limits hence the term. This means that Naruto is a member of the clan possessing the Sharingan and he doesn't like what he learned about his clan.

The Uchiha clan, one of the most prominent clans in Konoha and legendary not only in the village but to the entire shinobi world as well for their bloodline limit, the Sharingan, is his clan. Yet, it feels like the hatred he gets isn't less than what he should have if he is only part of a non-prominent clan. Therefore, he concluded that no one knows of his true heritage.

The Sharingan, Naruto learned, is a special type of pupil condition that naturally occurs in all members of the Uchiha clan, though not all of them gain the ability to use it. It does not automatically appear from birth in a user; instead, it will usually appear when the user is in a life-threatening situation, where the power of the Sharingan could save the user. This explains why he was only able to use it later in his fight against Kyuubi.

Generally, the Sharingan has three main abilities. Its first and most well known ability is to memorize any jutsu it witnesses. Second is that it grants the user incredible clarity of perception explaining how Naruto was able to track Kyuubi's movements so easily. Third is that it's capable of using a unique brand of hypnotism.

There's a heightened form of Sharingan which is called Mangekyou Sharingan. Naruto also possesses this form which enables the user to use two advance jutsus. One is called Amaterasu which is a black flame rumored to be as hot as the center of the center, maybe even hotter. Another one is called Tsukuyomi which is an illusion almost impossible to break.

But Naruto was worried about Mangekyou Sharingan's prerequisites. For one to possess this advance form, he/she must kill his/her best friend as the guilt felt in doing so will trigger its awakening. But Naruto didn't kill any of his friends. Heck, he didn't even consider himself having a friend.

'_Maybe because of Kyuubi's presence_' he assumed. Boy, if only he knew.

Another question he has in mind is how he moved in a speed far greater than light when he dodged Kyuubi's final attack. He couldn't find one record of that kind of movement anywhere in Konoha.

'_Perhaps it's another advance ability Mangekyou Sharingan possesses. I'll just call it Susanoo since the other two are named after two of the Shinto siblings_' he assumed. Boy, if only he really knew.

Of course, even for a powerful shaman like Naruto, it's not easy to gain all of this information in this world as all important documents, especially the ones containing facts about Mangekyou Sharingan, are very well guarded by either ninjas or advance seals.

'_Maybe I'll just tell the Hokage about my plan of enrolling in the academy tomorrow. The villagers are always more hostile to me during my birthday_' Naruto thought and prepared himself to rest for the day.

The next day, Naruto went straight to the Hokage tower early in the morning in order to avoid receiving hateful glares from the villagers as much as possible. Of course, he can always use Amaterasu to teleport anywhere in the globe but walking casually once in a while is good also. But the glares that he can't avoid are from the ones belonging to those who are in the tower itself. One can't really avoid being looked at in the tower when you are just walking in.

"What are you doing here you demon brat?" said one guard with as much venom as he could muster in his voice when Naruto finally reached the door to the Hokage's office.

"I just have something to tell to Hokage-sama. That's all" he replied.

"You got nothing to the Hokage" the guard replied back.

'_This guard is stupid. I said I have something to say to the Hokage and yet he told me that I have not! Boy, emotions really tend to make people dumb_' Naruto thought.

"And besides a demon like you have no right to talk to the Hokage" the guard continued.

"Now leave or do you want me to kick you out?"

"What's with the commotion here?" asked one aging voice from within the Hokage office when the door opened.

"Ah Hokage-sama, this de… I mean kid insisted that he has something to tell you. I told him that you don't have time to talk to….. the likes of him" the guard answered hatred clearly evident in his voice.

"Itsuki-kun, what did I told you about talking to Naruto-kun like that?" Sandaime asked trying to act as calm as possible.

"But he….." But the guard named Itsuki didn't finish his sentence as he knew he really can't talk back to the Hokage.

"My apologies." With that, the guard went back to his post but not without sparing Naruto another hateful glare.

"Come inside, Naruto-kun. The guard said you something to tell me" Sandaime said issuing the blonde to enter. The old man noted that Naruto's whisker marks had disappeared the day after the Kyuubi attack. He knows that it marks the boy as a jinchuriki so when he didn't find it, he thought that there is something wrong with the seal. But days pass as well as weeks, months and years and yet he witnessed nothing troubling about the boy so he eventually let it pass.

"I just want to tell you that I want to be a ninja, Hokage-sama" Naruto answered as Sandaime closes the door. The old man looked at him with his left eyebrow raised.

"Hmm, well if you want to be a ninja then you have to enter the academy first."

"Then I'll attend the academy."

"Well, I can have the arrangements done for you but I believe you are still too young to attend the academy. You should wait until you become seven." Though Sandaime also wants Naruto to become a ninja, for a four year old boy to already attend the academy makes him remember horrible memories during the Third Great Shinobi War. He remembered that during those times how much Konoha is in desperate need for more ninja that they allowed four year old kids to attend the academy and let them fight once they graduated at the age of seven sometimes even younger.

"I don't want to wait for three more years. I want to become a ninja as soon as possible" Naruto insisted.

"Listen here Naruto-kun" Sandaime tried to convince the boy.

"No! I want to attend the academy now!" the blonde insisted trying to act as childish as possible. Though he hates this, the last thing that he wants to happen is to blow his cover and let everyone know that he is the reincarnation of the deadliest shaman ever.

"Sigh, okay, okay, Naruto-kun. You'll attend the academy." Naruto jumped in joy.

"But you still have to wait a couple more months before your first class as this year's school year is almost over. You can leave now. I'll just call for you when you are about to attend the academy."

"Alright Hokage-sama. I'll be leaving now" Naruto said joyfully and left.

'_Well I guess this is for the better. The sooner he becomes a ninja, the sooner he can protect himself though I doubt the academy teachers will do their jobs well for him. I'll just make sure that will never happen_' Sandaime thought and retreated back to his work table.

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Now I wonder what will I write for the next chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: First Opponent from Cloud

27th day of December, second day after Christmas but this world never celebrate Christmas. No need for questions concerning that matter as no one in this world knows Jesus Christ but Konoha citizens have something to celebrate. Though it's not on the exact date of December 25th, it's pretty close enough. Today is the fourth birthday of the Hyuuga heiress, Hyuuga Hinata.

Unfortunately, people are not looking happy. Why aren't they happy? Well it's because the birthday celebrant isn't anywhere to be found and the moon is already high in the night sky. Children of her age can't possibly go out of their homes in this time of the night so there's only one possible explanation for her absence, she's been kidnapped. And who could be the suspects?

Konoha shinobi can only think of one but they can't say it out loud because _they _are here in Konoha to form a peace treaty as _ordered_ by the Kage of their village as well as join in the Hinata's birthday celebration. _They _might think that Konoha doesn't want peace but they can't really help it. No one else in the village is as suspicious as they are, the Kumo shinobis. So all of they can do for now is send the best search and retrieval ninjas and comb the entire village. They just hope the culprit is still in Konoha.

Oh yes, he still is, fortunately. He's having a hard time avoiding detection from Konoha shinobis. It is all thanks to Konoha's almost impenetrable security mostly due to the Hyuuga clan's bloodline limit, the Byakugan also believe to be the reason why the clan heiress was abducted. Of course, we can't disregard the other clans who are also expects in tracking, the Aburame and Inuzuka clan. With the Aburames' innumerable insect companions, scouting even a wide area is a piece of cake and with the Inuzukas's sense of smell 10,000 times stronger than normal humans', not even a cockroach can slip in undetected.

Now our infamous kidnapper is very tired running and carrying the bundle containing the Hyuuga heiress. He didn't know that a small girl can be that heavy. Boy, she needs to reduce the consumption of sweets while still young. Anyway, fortunately for the kidnapper, he located a nice house in the middle of a forest within Konoha where he can take a rest for a while. But unfortunately, unknown to him, the said house belongs to our favorite blonde kid, Uzumaki Naruto also the reincarnation of the most feared shaman in existence, Asakura Hao.

"For this night, I'm going to have a feast for receiving my enrollment slip for the academy" thought the said blonde happily.

Oh yeah, the school year for the newest batch in the academy is about to begin within a few more weeks. Naruto received his enrollment slip earlier that day so there's no reason for him to be unhappy. So for his own celebration, he caught a wild boar and planned to roast it for dinner but when he arrived at his house, he found out that he will not be alone for tonight.

Naruto caught a man in the act of breaking down his front door. Unknown to him, this same man is the Hyuuga heiress' kidnapper. But the man's clothing, which comprises of pure black ninja pants, shirt, ninja gears and mask covering his entire head except for his eyes, is more than enough to make the blonde wary.

"Hey you, what are you doing in my house and why did you break my door?" Naruto called out. Startled, the man took out a kunai and turned his head around looking for the source of the voice.

"I'm over here, you idiot" Naruto called out again. This time, the man turned to his back and saw a small child a few meters away from him about the same age as the Hyuuga heiress and carrying a huge boar on his back.

A part of his mind was surprised that such a small kid managed to get that close to him without him knowing. But this part is so small that it is negligible. The larger part of his mind was relieved that only a small kid saw him and not a team of Konoha ANBU.

'_But still, I can't let this runt live. He might tell the Konoha ninjas about me_" the man thought and without saying anything else, threw his kunai at the boy. But he was again surprised when the blonde swung the boar he was carrying blocking the weapon.

"I don't know who you are but I can say that you are a bad person since you broke into someone else's door and even tried to kill me not to mention that you abducted a kid" Naruto said with a smirk freaking the man a little.

'_What? How did he know I did something like that?_' the man thought and as if reading his mind which of course he is capable of, Naruto spoke.

"Well that's simple really. I can sense a presence within the bundle you are holding and based on its weak signature, I can say that it's a child the same age as me."

'_Well at least the same age as my current body_' he added in an afterthought.

'_What?! He's senses is as sharp as that of a trained ninja?! No matter, he's still a brat. I can take him down with one blow_' the man thought freaking more.

"You know, a ninja shouldn't underestimate his/her opponent even if it's a small kid like me as it will surely cost his/her own defeat" Naruto said his smirk still plastered on his face. Now more freaked out than ever, the man put the bundle down and charged at the blonde intending on grabbing his neck and squeeze out the air out of him.

Naruto's smirk widened and quickly responded with a tiger seal and summoned flames around him making the man stop on his tracks and jumped backwards barely evading a giant clawed hand made out of flames. But still a part of his pants got burned. The man landed on the roof of Naruto's house but jumped again avoiding another clawed hand.

Naruto saw this as an opportunity and summoned another flaming hand and took the bundle which is the Hyuuga heiress. Laying her gently beside him, he turned back to his opponent and formed three hand seals. The edge of the clearing suddenly burst into flames.

"Now you have no hostage and nowhere to go. You have to defeat me first before anything else" he said still with his hand on the tiger seal. His smirk and the flames in the area gave him the image of a demon though a cute one at that. Cute but still scary.

'_This kid is none of the ordinary. How is he able to control the fire element like that? Not even the Raikage can control lighting in the same fashion. Is this his bloodline limit? But he seems to be a master already and he's still a kid. Who is this kid really?_' the man asked himself frantically.

"Don't fill your thoughts with unnecessary matters or else you'll lose. Focus more on your opponent, me" Naruto said as a clawed hand charged at the man.

Evading by turning a full 360, the man charged while throwing three kunais equipped with explosive tags towards the blonde. Fire met the projectiles and three explosions occurred. However, the man didn't have time to be relieved as the hand turned back and attacked him again.

This time, the man jumped but while in mid air, another flaming hand shot out of the smoke covering the two children. He flipped but got his chest burned. Fortunately, it's non-lethal. He threw more kunais with explosive tags towards the origin of the hands. Though he can't assure a direct hit, the explosions will do the damage for him.

More explosions were heard. The man doesn't really care anymore even if all living in Konoha hears the noise and come rushing where he is right now. He can't go anywhere with red hot flames blocking his way so he got no other choice left but to defeat this brat, take his captive back and run away before anyone else arrive.

But the man knows that it will not be easy. Even with all the explosions, he knows that the blonde kid is still alive and perfectly fine. How did he know? The flames in the clearing are still there strong as ever. Another proof is that upon landing, six flaming hands shot out of the ground around him. The hands, after reaching a certain height, came back down towards him and hit him directly.

As another explosion occurred, the smoke surrounding Naruto and the still asleep Hyuuga heiress finally cleared. And there is the four year old still smirking demonically and not a scratch on his body. His clothes are not even dirty thanks to a protective dome made of fire surrounding the two kids.

'_This guy is pretty good. He's still alive_' Naruto thought and true to his words, his opponent is still alive.

After all of the smoke finally cleared up, the man was revealed lightning surrounding his body like armor. The lightning receded and revealed that it didn't protect its summoner completely. The man has wounds and burns all over his body. Though none of them are fatal, they are still numerous.

'_This kid is going to pay!_' he thought anger showing up in his eyes.

"I'm going to kill you brat!" he shouted angrily and pulled out two ninjakens strapped on his waist. Naruto took note of the seals engraved on the blades.

'_Hmm, seals for elemental manipulation. This guy is smart. With those seals, he can perform elemental based ninjutsus without hand seals_' he thought as he watched his opponent raises his blades in the air.

"Raigeki no Yoroi! (Armor of Lightning)" the man shouted as lightning descended from the night sky and hit him. He was then again covered by armor made of lightning along with his weapons.

The man then charged now holding his ninjakens in a reverse grip. He swung the one on his right hand aiming to severe the four year old kid's head. Naruto kept his hand on the tiger seal and fire covered the blade stopping the attack and holding the weapon firm in place. The man then thrust this other blade aiming for his opponent's stomach but fire again automatically acted to defend its summoner.

The man tried to pull out his blades but the fire held it like in a vice like grip. A flaming hand shot out of the ground at his back and tried to shred his into pieces. But he kicked it away using his now lightning powered feet. Using the momentum, he spun in mid air making the fire release its hold on his blades. Upon landing, he blurred out of the blonde's front and reappeared at the back. Raising his ninjakens in the air, he attempted to cut the boy by his shoulder.

Naruto already saw this move and summoned fire in the form of two hands to catch the blades. The hands then pulled hard and a bigger flaming hand formed punching the man straight on his chest. His lightning armor prevented him from getting burned but the force of the blow was still great that he coughed up a good amount of blood. He was then sent flying towards the fire wall around the clearing but he managed to regain his bearings and flipped backwards in mid air. He landed and thrust his blades on the ground using them as breaks and came into a stop just a few centimeters away from the fire wall.

But the man didn't expect a fire hand big enough to crush a house to form out of the fire wall. It was too late when he looked up as the giant hand pounded him to the ground. Naruto finally turned around to see the handy work of his fire. The hand vanished but the man was nowhere to be found.

'_Below the ground and behind me, again_' Naruto thought as the man burst out of ground at the same spot as he expected.

"Raiton: Rairyudan! (Lightning Release: Lightning Dragon Missile)" the man shouted while in mid air and swung his ninjakens forward. Two strips of lightning shot out of the blades but later fused and formed a giant dragon heading straight for the blonde kid.

Naruto turned around while rapidly forming hand seals. Fire ignited around him, swirled and then formed a dragon rivaling the size of the lightning dragon.

"Katon Hijutsu: Karyuu Endan! (Fire Release Secret Technique: Fire Dragon Missile)" he shouted and shot the fire dragon at the same time the lightning dragon was shot.

The two elements met but fire was surprisingly more powerful as it easily vanquished lightning. The man's eyes widen and only managed to scream as the fire dragon swallowed him whole. It descended and exploded upon impact on the ground. The explosion was the strongest so far as it went past the fire wall and ignited a pretty big area of the forest.

Out of the flames, a giant hand rose holding the now severely battered and burned man. Almost all of his clothes are burned including his mask as he is finally revealed to be wearing a forehead protector with a mark vaguely resembling a pair of clouds, the insignia of the Kumo nins. He opened his eyes painfully and looked at the four year old child.

"You must be wondering why my flames easily overpowered your lightning. That's very simple. I combined the wind element to the fire element making the latter a whole lot stronger. Also, lightning is weak against wind. You know that fact, right?" Naruto explained while still smiling and the Kumo nin finally fell unconscious.

'_You are pretty lucky today. I'm supposed to feed you to my flames since it didn't get anything to eat for more than four years now but a lot of people are watching_' the blonde thought and dispersed the flames in the clearing except for the one holding the Kumo nin. In an instant, a dozen ANBU surrounded him. The captain took a step forward and turned his head to look at the unconscious ninja. He turned back to look at the most hated kid in Konoha and the bundle beside him.

"It seems that you got something to do with the abduction of the Hyuuga heiress, demon brat" he said hatefully. Naruto only chuckled.

"And it seems that I can't keep on acting like a kid" he said and chuckled even more.

"There's nothing funny here, demon. You are now being seized for abducting Hyuuga Hinata" the captain announced and the other ANBUs stepped forward to take the blonde away. But before any of them raise their hand, Naruto formed the tiger seal and summoned his flames again in a protective circle around him and the Hyuuga heiress.

"I understand the reason why you are accusing me of being the culprit but it is mostly due to your hatred towards me. Shouldn't you also accuse that man? You are an ANBU captain meaning that you are not only strong but also intelligent. You should always think logically" he defended.

The captain admitted to himself that what he said was true. Their very first suspects were the Kumo nins afterall. He only wants to use this opportunity to get rid of the demon vessel and avenge his parents' deaths. Plus, while searching for the true culprit earlier, he also spotted the boy tracking a wild boar. He knew that the real kidnapper wouldn't have that much time to waste in hunting dinner.

"As you can see, that man is from Kumogakure no sato. He is also the ambassador that the Raikage sent for the peace treaty between their village and ours. He may just want to save the Hyuuga heiress from you" the captain said back.

"Someone from outside Konoha will suspect an unknown four year old kid like me of being a kidnapper?" Naruto retaliated.

"An unknown four year old kid who lives in house in the middle of nowhere" the captain countered.

"Right. But still why did he had to wear a mask to cover almost his entire face as well as his forehead protector which is his sole identification as a Kumo nin?" Naruto countered silencing the captain finally.

"Alright so we will take both you and that man for interrogation to know if you are really saying the truth" the captain finally gave in

"You can disperse your flames now. We will not drag you I assure you and you can take that man down now. We'll carry him" he requested and Naruto complied.

An ANBU member walked forward and carried Hyuuga heiress away. Another one walked away from the group and carried the unconscious Kumo shinobi.

"Follow me" the captain told Naruto and they all walked away from the now wasted part of the forest.

'_I'll restore this place after I finish my work with these guys. I hope it will be soon_' Naruto thought.

'_A four year old kid who got this much power, there's only one explanation for this. He's indeed a demon_' the ANBU captain thought but then remembered what Naruto said earlier.

'_You are an ANBU captain meaning that you are not only strong but also intelligent. You should always think logically._'

'_But why is he still not doing anything against Konoha? And why didn't I feel anything demonic radiating from him in his fight? Damn with all of these questions but I'm sure of one thing though. He can be an invaluable addition to our forces. Perhaps I can ask him to join the ANBU if we find out he's not guilty._'

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I think a very few readers read thi fic. I got a very few reviews after all.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Discussions

28th of December, nine in the morning, just a few hours after the failed attempt of abduction of Hyuuga Hinata, the heiress of one of the most prestigious clans in Konoha. The entire village is in uproar after hearing about the incident but this mostly due to the news of their most hated kid, Uzumaki Naruto, being involved. Immediately their very predictable reactions came, they wanted the blonde dead. They all blamed him for the incident not even paying attention to the Kumo nins who are also suspects.

The Hokage quickly silenced the villagers by telling them of the possibility that the Kumo nins are the actual criminals. Of course he expected this to be a very hard task as the villagers are blinded by their anger and hatred for the demon child so in his very first words he immediately enforced his voice with chakra so that everyone will be forced to listen to him. A very effective method I must say for they did shut they mouths but mostly due to their fear of the Hokage.

As for the other Kumo nins still inside Konoha, they immediately left the village as soon as news stating that their 'ambassador' is the prime suspect for kidnapping the Hyuuga heiress reached them. They know that soon, everyone in Konoha will know what they really want. And with their small numbers, they also know that they are not capable of pulling their captive comrade out from the Konoha prisons and prevent him from spilling any information to the interrogators. Unfortunately for them, their action made the Konoha shinobis more suspiscious.

We now go inside the conference in the Hokage tower where all of the members of the Konoha council gathered. Of course the Hokage can't be forgotten as well as the ANBU members present in the area where the fight between Uzumaki Naruto and the Kumo ambassador took place. Here all of the council members, excluding the Hyuugas, are petitioning for the death of the blonde child. They also blamed him for the incident. Sandaime also tried silencing them but didn't have as much luck as with the villagers.

"I knew with should have killed that demon four years ago. Look at all the ruckus he had done in just one night!" Homura exploded.

"I already told you that it's still not confirmed that Naruto did attempt to abduct Hiashi's daughter. Ibiki is still interrogating him as well as the Kumo nin caught in the scene with the help of the Yamanakas" the Hokage retaliated.

"Even if he is found not guilty of kidnapper, we should still put him to death. You heard the ANBUs' story about how easily he crushed the Kumo ambassador. He'll crush Konoha next time for sure" Koharu stated.

"It looks like you are the one who's not listening to the ANBUs' story. If Naruto is already that strong and if he does have a plan on destroying our village then he should done it already. Yet, he's still not doing anything against us."

"He may not have enough strength to carry out his plans that's why as early as now, we have to kill him" the youngest council member said.

"Just like what I said, if he does have a plan against us and if he knew that he is not strong enough to carry it out then he should have left Konoha given that this village is extremely hostile to him."

"The demon fox is smart. I know what he is thinking. He's planning to destroy Konoha from inside out" a council member, probably the fattest among them, said.

"You are not getting any of my words, right? Okay, let's say that he is the Kyuubi and that he is indeed smart, far smarter than the smartest human in history. If he really is that smart then he should have realized that with only a small fraction of his power intact, he will not survive here in Konoha where practically every single person wants him dead. And if he is already dead then he will not be able to execute any of his plans." And finally, with those smart words of the Hokage, he managed to silence them somehow.

"Hiashi-dono, you have been quiet this entire time while we are discussing what to do with the demon child. Don't tell me you also believe that he is innocent and he is the one who saved your daughter" Homura stated making everyone else in the room turn their heads to the Hyuuga head.

Hiashi looked back at all of them before releasing a sigh and speaking.

"I admit to all of you I'm also wary of the boy being who he is but after checking his entire body with my Byakugan, well let's just say that my wariness was drastically reduced to almost nothing."

"Care to explain any further?" Nara Shikato asked.

"Alright. You see I'm quite curious on how the boy managed to fight like that. From the ANBUs' story, he is already should I say a master in manipulating fire. Perhaps I can even say that he's a better fire master than even the Uchihas. No offense there, Fugaku" Hiashi quickly added the last sentence since he caught the Uchiha head narrowing his eyes on him.

"And you said that you even heard the boy saying that he mixed wind manipulation with fire manipulation making the flames' heat intensify" he said turning to the ANBU captain who only nodded.

"That kind of feat requires excellent chakra control but more importantly, huge reserves of chakra." Everyone in the room is perfectly silent now listening to Hiashi's every single word.

"There's only one explanation for that, Hiashi. He used his demonic chakra" Fugaku said.

"That much demonic chakra being controlled perfectly inside a four year old human body? I don't think it's possible for even Kyuubi. Besides, the demonic chakra should have left abnormalities as well as obvious traces of its use inside and outside the boy's body. I found nothing with my Byakugan but I did see something peculiar." All of the people in room grew even more interested in what Hiashi is saying.

"And what would this peculiar thing be?" Sandaime himself asked.

"His chakra circulatory system is already fully matured like an adult's and his chakra coils are far larger than an average person. He also has far more tenketsus than the normal numbers approximately 300 hundred more" the Hyuuga head said making the others' eyes widen like dinner plates.

"If the Kyuubi doesn't have anything to do with this phenomenon then I have only one possible explanation. It's probably some sort of bloodline limit" he continued.

"That brings us to another question. Who are the parents of the boy?" Fugaku asked making everyone turn their eyes in him this time. Sandaime, however, tried not to flinch at the question.

"That's correct. He had been the prime topic of most of our conversations for the past four years yet we know nothing about his background. Perhaps the Hokage knows something" Homura said making everyone turn their heads again this time to the old Hokage.

"I've been also wondering about Naruto's parents. The only person I know who knows the most about him is Yondaime. He is the one who took Naruto to the battlefield and made him Kyuubi's jailor four years ago" he said trying his best to act naturally. Fortunately, no one noticed that he's a little nervous.

"That's true but didn't Yondaime left anything like a scroll or a letter that tells anything about the boy?"

"Well he did left some scrolls and I have no idea what's written in them but all of them are locked by seals breakable only by those who have the same bloodline as him." Everyone sighed simultaneously at that.

No one in the village knows anything about Yondaime having a blood relative. What everyone knows is that he's also an orphan.

"But there's still no explanation for his ability to manipulate the fire and wind elements" Fugaku said.

"We might have the explanation when the interrogators come here" Hiashi said and as if on cue, a knock on the door was heard.

"You may come in" Sandaime answered and the door opened revealing a middle aged man with blonde hair tied in a ponytail and blue eyes. He walked towards to where the Hokage is sitting and saluted before speaking.

"Hokage-sama, I've been asked by Ibiki to deliver you the report about Uzumaki Naruto and the Kumo ambassador's interrogation" the man named Yamanaka Inochi said.

"Proceed."

"Hai. I entered both of the suspects' minds. The Kumo ambassador is found guilty along with the other Kumo nins who entered the village of abducting the Hyuuga heiress. Their plead of having a peace treaty between Konoha and Kumo as well as their presence on the celebration of her birthday were merely a facade and parts of their plans to steal the secrets of the Byakugan" Inochi reported.

Everyone in the room sighed on the report. It's very predictable that other villages will take interest on the bloodline limits existing in another village. Discovering the secrets of these bloodline limits, after all, will provide them with information to make appropriate countermeasures incase a war breaks out though they could also want to take the power of these bloodline limits for themselves. But for someone to involve innocent children who's not even academy students yet is incomprehensible. Such an act is absolutely inhuman and a clear indication of existing cowardice and desperation.

"Uzumaki Naruto is proven to be innocent of any accusations of criminal acts. Around the time the abduction occurred, he was merely hunting a wild boar for dinner though I don't know if he knows how to cook. But that doesn't really matter, right?" he continued his report.

"After capturing his food, he went back to what he claimed is his house located in the same place where the fight occurred. That is when he found the Kumo nin breaking down his front door then you know the rest. Hell breaks loose." Inochi finished his report. The entire council with the exception of the Hyuugas sighed in frustration. It didn't turn out against the demon boy.

"Did you get any information on how Uzumaki Naruto is able to manipulate the fire and wind elements?" Fugaku asked.

"I also tried to know why but I saw no particular source of his knowledge. It is as if he knows the skills in heart" Inochi answered.

"You mean it's like instinct for him?"

"Yes. That must be it." The council sighed again and stood up preparing to leave the conference room.

"Hey, wait a second. Where do you think you guys are going?" Sandaime asked.

"I believe this conference is over. We've discussed what we needed to discuss and the real culprit was revealed. Is there anything else we need to talk about?" Homura asked.

"Actually there is one thing I want to talk to you about" the ANBU captain spoke.

"Well? Go ahead, captain. Ladies and gentlemen please take your seats again" the Hokage issued.

"All of my teammates have agreed with me in this matter. I would like Uzumaki Naruto to join ANBU for reasons I know you already know" the captain said.

Everyone was shocked at the captain's announcement especially the Hokage whose jaw is now on the floor. The council, though terribly shocked, regained their bearings and replaced their shocked faces with grinning ones something that extremely terrified the Hokage.

'_I don't their expressions. Looks like they found another way to get what they want_' the old man thought sweat now dropping from his face.

"Sure, why not. He have the skills to bring down an A class ninja easily. I'm sure he'll be invaluable to our forces" Fugaku stated having the biggest grin among anyone in the room.

"Captain, please do us this favor. Try your best to persuade Uzumaki Naruto to join our ninja ranks" Koharu pleaded.

"I can't allow that!" Sandaime shouted slamming his hands on the table. The council members only looked at him calmly.

"I knew you will react that way, Sarutobi. I understand you sympathy for the boy but you should listen to us just this once. We are not forcing him to join the ANBU. Didn't you hear, we asked the captain to_ persuade _him to join the ANBU" Homura explained trying to look as kindhearted as possible.

"Therefore the decision is entirely up to the boy whether or not he will join our ranks."

"I know that, stupid. My sympathy is not the only reason why I don't want Naruto to become an ANBU, at least not yet" Sandaime explained.

"And what would be the other reasons and what do you mean _not yet_?"

"You guys seemed to forget the prerequisites we have for one to become a ninja and one of the most important is literacy" Sarutobi answered making the council members slap their heads for being so stupid and forgetting something so important.

"Sure Naruto may be strong enough to be an ANBU member but can he read, write or perform mathematical operations? Even with inborn skills in combat, I don't think a four year old child is already capable of reading or writing."

"So that means the boy still have to attend the academy" the ANBU captain said sighing along with the council members.

"But depending on his performance in the academy, he might not have to wait for the usual five years before graduating. He is, after all, already a skilled fighter" Shikato stated.

"Hokage-sama, you already enrolled the boy to attend the academy this upcoming school year right?" Akimichi Chouza asked. The Hokage sighed first before answering.

"Yes" was his short answer.

"That's good. Then all we have to do now is wait until he graduates then will give him the invitation to join the ANBU" the ANBU captain said. Strangely, the Hokage was heard chuckling. Everyone looked at him like he had grown another head.

"And what would be the reason for your laugh, Sarutobi?" Homura asked.

"Well, I just found all of you to be really funny" Sandaime answered and chuckled even more.

"You are answering me inappropriately."

"I have a question for you guys for you seemed to be so assured. What makes you think that Naruto won't have a hard time in the academy?"

"What do you……" All of a sudden, the council members again feel like slapping their heads once more upon realizing what the Hokage means.

Practically everyone in Konohagakure no sato hates Naruto to his very core so who would think that the academy teachers are exemptions? Therefore, who would think that there will be someone there who will give him proper education?

"Why not give the academy teachers a direct order not to discriminate the boy? I'm sure no one will have the guts to disobey a direct order" Hiashi suggested after a long period of silence.

The rest of the council members immediately thank, although in silence, the Hyuuga head for the suggestion while the Hokage gave him the _why-did-you-have-to-give-them-the-idea_ look.

"Yeah. A simple problem requires only a simple solution. You will give the orders right, Sarutobi? You are after all the first one in this room who wanted the boy to become a ninja."

"Sigh, yeah, yeah. I will. So, is there anything else anyone of you wants to talk about?" When no one spoke, he dismissed the conference.

'_Well I guess this is for the better. I hope that when Naruto receives the invitation to the ANBU, he is already strong enough to take on even suicide missions_' were the final thoughts of the Hokage before leaving the room himself. Boy, if he only knows.

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I'm including Hao/Naruto's first mission on the next chapter so I hope you'll look forward to that. It won't be long also when I'm going to have the rest of the Rookie nine written.


	6. Chapter 6

I'll follow the suggestion a certain reviewer gave me. When Hao/Naruto is only by himself, I'll refer to him as Hao but when he's with other characters, I'll refer to him as Naruto. I hope that will okay.

Here's the next chapter.

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Chapter 6: ANBU

Hao was quite surprised when he started studying in the academy. He didn't expect that ninjas in this world are also taught algebra, geometry, trigonometry and other mathematical branches, biology, chemistry, physics and other branches of science. Since he wasn't required to study it in his former world, he got a little hard time but nothing is impossible for him. He is after all a very smart 1020 year old human.

'_Well since this world also uses technology though to a very limited extent, I'll just have to follow the flow_' he thought and continued to answer the problem sets he was given as assignments.

While he was busy studying in the academy, his shikigamis are busy collecting or rather stealing jutsus from different parts of Konoha. Some they got from ninjas while training, some were from the library and even some are from the Hokage tower itself!

'_Since I'm going to become a ninja, I have to learn as much jutsus as possible' _Hao thought.

He doesn't really use the jutsus the way they are originally used. He modifies every single one of them, lessen their disadvantages as much as he can, and improves them as much as he can thus making them his very own. But he was very overwhelmed by the amount of jutsus, especially by the forbidden ones, people in Konoha have.

'_If this village has this many jutsus, imagine how many jutsus are there in this entire world!_' he thought excitingly while working on another jutsu. Luckily for him, his divinity prevents him from getting fatigue due to overwork.

But Hao found the most shocking information he can ever find in Konohagakure no sato which also makes him change his views of the village forever. He is the son of the greatest ninja ever to live in Konoha, Yondaime Hokage. He learned his legacy when his shikigamis brought back some scrolls addressed to him from the Hokage tower.

'_Figures, a good leader won't ask for others' child to be use as a sacrifice when he has one of his own._'

The scrolls were locked by blood seals removable only by those of the same bloodline as the sealer. Since they are addressed to him, Hao figured that he can open them and he did. The scrolls don't contain much as only sweet words from his parents are written including how the Yondaime wants him to be seen as a hero by the entire village.

'_Stupid, what makes him think that all of his people are that kind and understandable?_'

Hao doesn't really hate the Yondaime and Konoha like how the villagers hate him. He also doesn't really like Yondaime and Konoha like how the villagers love him and the village. His views for the Konoha are more on the darker side as he is prepared to abandon the village incase it turns its back to him. If it does something worse, he is prepared to burn it to the ground.

The academy teachers aren't the happiest people in Konoha much less in the world as they now have the demon brat under their wings. The Hokage's direct order of giving Naruto proper education didn't make them any happier. But who among them has the power to disobey the Hokage? Absolutely no one.

But as Naruto's time in the academy passes, the teachers' views of him somewhat changed and it is for the better though it is only a little. They saw him as a hard worker but more than that, a genius. They began to have interest in him when they observe how he accomplishes his tasks with amazing speed and excellence.

After one year of studying in the academy, the teachers figured out that they can let Naruto graduate early since he can already perform the three basic ninja skills: Bunshin no jutsu, Henge no jutsu and Kawarimi no jutsu. He passed the genin exams with flying colors and became the Rookie of the year at the very young age of five. Well, at least his body is that young, right?

The news of Naruto's early graduation quickly spread all over Konoha like wild fire. To say the least, the villagers were very upset that the demon brat is getting stronger and closer to destroying them. Some even petitioned to the Hokage to remove his status as a Konoha shinobi but they are denied as there should be a valid reason. A ninja can't be removed from duty just because he is hated.

The ANBU captain present in the fight scene between Naruto and the Kumo shinobi a year ago immediately went to the academy after the genin exams to personally deliver the invitation to join the ANBU to the very young genin. He used every single way he knows to persuade Naruto to join the ANBU including leaking the information on how genins were given measly missions like baby sitting, gardening and grocery shopping. That method worked like a charm.

We now go to the Hokage tower where we can find our favorite protagonist (or should I say antagonist. Is he more of an antagonist than a protagonist? Well, whatever) who now has his hair dyed in black. Hao figured that his hair color grabs too much attention so changed it to black. He is also wearing black shinobi sandals, black pants, black sleeveless shirt and black cloak (much like the cloaks Akatsuki wears only Hao's pure black).

He especially requested the Hokage to provide him with a black forehead protector with the Konoha mark colored in red. Its cloth is also black and it's tied around his waist like a belt. But because of his cloak, his forehead protector can't be seen. And finally, he wears a black mask resembling the face of a demon but doesn't have the Konoha mark.

"Hmm, I think you should have wore the standard ANBU uniform instead of that, Naruto-kun" Sandaime said while looking at the young ANBU from head to toe.

"I don't think those kinds of clothing will suit my small body. Besides, I'm more confortable this way" Naruto said.

"Sigh. Very well then, Naruto-kun. I'm going to give you your very first mission as an ANBU member but more importantly as a Konoha shinobi" Sandaime said to the now intently listening ANBU and began the mission briefing.

"You are aware of the fact that we have now a grudge with Kumogakure no sato due to their failed attempt to abduct the Hyuuga heiress a year ago, an incident in which you are also involved."

"Hai" was the short answer of the short ANBU.

"You are also aware of the fact that we still have a grudge with Iwagakure no sato due to their lost in the last Great Shinobi War." Naruto's eyes narrowed a bit underneath his mask.

"Old man, are you saying that these two villages are trying to forge an alliance and are planning to attack Konoha together?" he asked.

'_Old man? He's not giving me much respect, huh?_' Sandaime thought before answering.

"Excellent analysis, Naruto-kun. Yes, it seems that they are. Our intelligence managed to pinpoint the location where they are going to sign for their alliance and it's not in the best of place. Well, at least for us."

"Amegakure no sato?" Naruto asked trying to confirm his hypothesis. The Hokage looked at him not believing in what he said.

"Yes, that's right. How did you figure it out?"

"Not very hard to figure out since the Hidden Rain is almost as hostile to us as Hidden Cloud and Hidden Rock." The Hokage is impressed with the amount of knowledge the young ANBU possesses.

'_Hmm, looks like that ANBU captain made the right choice of inviting him to join the ANBU_' he thought with a smile.

"Yes, your hypothesis is also correct. Also because of Amegakure's hostility towards Konoha, they might as well join in the alliance."

"So you want me to stop these three villages from forming an alliance" Naruto said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

'_Maybe the ANBU captain didn't make the right choice of inviting him to join the ANBU_' the Hokage thought with a sigh.

"If I'm planning to do that then I should have called an entire battalion ANBU instead of just you. Besides, an alliance between hidden villages, especially those from the Five Great Shinobi village, is almost inevitable. It can be postponed but it's almost impossible to prevent. No, not exactly."

"As a part of their alliance, Cloud and Rock agreed to exchange copies of their Scrolls of Forbidden Seals. Your target will be those. You are not required to steal both scrolls from Kumo and Iwa. One will be enough. If one of the two villages doesn't manage to give a copy of their forbidden scrolls then I'm sure the signing for the alliance will be postponed aside from us getting hold all of their high ranked jutsus including the kinjutsus."

"I must warn you though. When hidden villages are signing an alliance, their leaders' presence is required and wherever a hidden village's leader goes, his/her best ninjas accompany him/her. Therefore, there's a huge possibility that you will encounter both the Yondaime Raikage and Yondaime Tsuchikage including the finest shinobis of Kumo and Iwa in your mission."

"Our intelligence had reported that the Raikage along with 52 Kumo ANBUs had already left Hidden Cloud quite a few days ago. Our estimates is that they will arrive in Amegakure tomorrow late in the afternoon so the signing of alliance should start the next day. I suggest you to intercept this group once they arrive at Kusa/Taki borders since they seem to be the easier target and the closer one."

"If you execute your mission once both the Raikage and Tsuchikage are inside Hidden Rain, things will become very complicated. The same goes if you target the Tsuchikage's group. They may leave tomorrow early in the morning since Iwa is only directly north of Ame."

"This mission is a high A class one with a huge possibility of turning into a high S class one or more like a suicide mission. Once any of the enemy ninjas detects you, make a run for it. Your life is far more important. Besides, should they capture or kill you and know that you are a Konoha shinobi, they will not have any second thoughts of declaring an immediately war on us. Do you understand me?"

"Hai" was Naruto's quick answer. The Hokage let out a sigh first before speaking again.

"Good. I could have assigned this mission to a more experience ninja and give you an easier mission but for now, we don't have anyone else free. This matter should be dealt with as soon as possible. You can leave as soon as you are ready. Your mission will last until you get either or both Kumo and Iwa's Forbidden Scrolls or until the Raikage and Tsuchikage got back to their respective hidden villages. Dismissed."

Naruto saluted, turned around and left the Hokage office. As soon as he did, Sandaime let out a heavy sigh before looking at the series of pictures frames hanging on the right side of the office. His eyes stopped on the one nearest the door. It has the picture of a blonde haired, blue eyed man who is amazingly has a striking resemblance of Naruto. He seems to be the older version of the five year old ANBU.

'_You know I should have given your son an easier mission but the council won't allow me. They reasoned out that ANBU members should not receive missions lower than A rank but the truth is that they only want Naruto-kun to go on a suicide mission. I pray to the gods that he will return alive and well_' he thought and stood up to look at the village he is leading. Sigh, if only he knows that Naruto has the favor of the majority of the gods.

Upon leaving the Hokage office, Hao pulled out something from his pocket. He looked at the object which is revealed to be the forehead protector owned by the first opponent he faced and defeated. He asked Ibiki after his interrogation a year ago if he can keep it as a souvenir. The tokubetsu jounin, seeing nothing wrong with the request, complied. Grinning widely beneath his mask, Hao placed the forehead protector back to his pocket.

'_So I'm up against Kumo shinobis again, huh? This mission will prove to be interesting. Good thing I kept this forehead protector. It'll be of more use than just a mere souvenir_' he thought and disappeared in a flash of flames.

He arrived to his now restored home. The clearing as well as the surrounding forest don't seem to look like it became a battlefield a year ago. It is all thanks to Hao and his divine powers. He packed all of his necessary stuff before disappearing again in a flash of flames.

He reappeared outside Iwagakure no sato a few hundred meters away from the main gates. The distance is enough for his arrival not to be noticed by the guards. He climbed to the top of the tallest tree he can find in the area. He then looked at the general direction of the Tsuchikage tower and activated his Sharingan.

'_Hmm, good, the Tsuchikage is still there_' he thought grinning widely and climbed down.

'_The old man only suggested me to intercept the Raikage's group but that doesn't mean I have to follow him. My mission is to steal any or both the copies of Kumo and Iwa's Scrolls of Forbidden Seals. Doing so will surely postpone their plan for an alliance and we'll get hold of all of their high ranked jutsus and kinjutsus. If those are the major goals of this mission then why not execute a much better plan?_' he thought as his grin grew even wider.

'_Finally the Spirit of Fire will have something to eat after five long years of waiting. I'll ambush them once they are far enough from their village._'

The next day, just as the sun is rising, Iwa's main gates opened and the Tsuchikage walked out along with over fifty ANBUs one of which is carrying the huge Scroll of Forbidden Seals. The Tsuchikage seems to be battle ready as he is wearing full body battle armor. The armor seems to be light enough to allow the body to have full range of motion but heavy enough to block some attacks.

'_Hmm, seems that they are ready to go. Time for me to make my move_' Hao thought and went to the location where he predicted the battle will take place.

"Move out" the Tsuchikage spoke coolly but with authority. In an instant, all of the Iwa shinobi and the Tsuchikage are on the trees jumping from branches to branches. After having a pretty good distance from their village, the Tsuchikage suddenly ordered his men to stop.

"Halt!" he shouted and his ninjas immediately stopped. Most of them on their respective tree branches and some of them are on the ground. An ANBU member walked towards the Tsuchikage to ask if there is something wrong.

"Tsuchukage-sama, why did we stop?" But the Tsuchikage placed his index finger on his lips silently saying to everyone to remain quiet.

"Shhh"

All of the Iwa shinobis looked around them hands on ready to grab their respective weapons. They know that the Tsuchikage sensed something wrong.

'_This is very odd. This part of the forest is supposed to be where many animals live yet I can's spot even a fly. Something's definitely wrong_' the Tsuchikage thought while looking at the surroundings trying to find a possible threat. Naruto smiled wickedly at what he is saying.

'_Looks like I'm busted. It can't be helped. I don't want any of the innocent animals be involved in a bloody battle. Time to make my entrance_' he thought and disappeared from his hiding spot.

Suddenly, a ring of crimson fire surrounded the Tsuchikage and his shinobis. They are all now in full alert for an enemy threat is confirmed. The ones nearest from the flames jumped away as they can feel their clothes already burning. Indeed they are as they now have some burned holes on different places. Strangely though, the fire doesn't seem to be spreading throughout the forest even with its intensity but everyone's too shock to notice.

'_What an intense heat!_' on of them thought.

The heat even intensified when the fire grew to amazing heights now towering over even the tallest of trees in the area. Everyone within the ring of fire can feel and even smell that their clothes are burning. They know that their skin will soon follow.

"Jump over the flames!" the Tsuchikage ordered and everyone immediately followed. Unfortunately for them, the fire seems to have its own life as a dozen of giant flaming hands shot out of the fire wall and tried to stop them from leaving.

The Iwa nins attempt to escape failed as _most_ of them are now back to the ground but what about the others? Ah, they were, unfortunately, unable to dodge the giant hands of fire and are now held in mid air. And what will happen to anyone or anything that is held by flaming hands? Of course, they will burn to a crisp or in the case of these unlucky Iwa shinobis, burn to ashes.

'_This fire wall won't allow us to escape by jumping over it. If that's the case then..._' the Tsuchikage thought and gave out another order.

"Beneath the ground!"

The surviving Iwa shinobis formed a series of hand seals and prepared to use Doton: Shinju Zanshu. The Tsuchikage, however, suddenly jumped up when his instincts told him to. Luckily for him, his instincts were right as another giant hand of fire shot out of the ground trying to give him the same fate that his other men suffered.

While in mid air, however, another hand shot out of the fire wall towards him. He flipped in mid air gracefully evading the attack. However, he didn't expect the other hand that came out right after the last one as he was slapped and smashed to the ground. When the smoke cleared, he slowly stood up as he was revealed to be alive though pretty much battered.

'_Good thing I managed to activate my Kurogane Karada during the last seconds. But that fire is really something. I'm still hurt pretty badly even though my body is this hard_' he thought while rubbing his sore shoulder.

Some of the Iwa shinobis managed to finish their jutsus and are now under the ground. They aren't the luckiest men within the blazing ring for just after their heads disappeared in the soil; more fire hands pulled them out and roasted them alive. The remaining ninjas didn't get to finish their jutsu as they were interrupted rudely by more fire hands. Some were quick enough to evade and survive with only a few minor burns on the legs or arms but the slower ones, well you know what happened.

Now down to only 17 men including the Tsuchikage, the remaining Iwa ANBUs surrounded their injured leader in a protective circle in the very center of the fire ring. It was then when they heard for the very first time the voice of their enemy though they only heard him laughing, a dark and terrifying laugh that sounded like it came from the very lord of hell. Oh yes they are in hell alright. What else can you call a situation when you are hearing such a laugh and are surrounded by fire as tall as a full grown tree?

"It's no use trying to find away to escape. You'll just prolong your suffering and postpone the inevitable" said the voice like it was coming from all directions.

"Who are you?! Show yourself, you coward!" the Tsuchikage demanded but was only answered by another laugh.

"Even if I do, you'll never live long enough to remember me" the voice said. This time, the fire wall shot out numerous fireballs towards its victims. The Iwa nins formed hand seals before slamming their hands on the ground and calling out their jutsus.

"Doton: Doryuheki!"

16 walls made of rock hard soil rose from the ground surrounding the Iwa nins and blocking the attacks. Several explosions were heard and thick smoke covered the scene. The earth walls later crumbled due to the immense power contained by the fireballs and their uncountable numbers as well. Out of the smoke, a giant boulder rushed out towards the firewall. On the top of the boulder ride the Tsuchikage and his remaining men.

'_If we can't go past this firewall then we'll just have to go through it!_' the Tsuchikage thought but another giant hand came out of the firewall and shattered the boulder.

"Everyone, get off the boulder!" he shouted before the hand hit the boulder.

They all landed safely on the ground but they are panicking now. They need to find the hidden enemy to be able to defeat him but they need to escape first from the blazing prison they are in. Every single attempt they make to escape is successfully halted by fire that seems to have a life of its own and just appeared out of nowhere. The voice echoed again crackling with malevolent laughter.

"Your efforts to escape are well worthy enough but still and will always be futile!"

"Just what the heck do you want from us?!" the Tsuchikage shouted between gritted teeth.

"Isn't it obvious? I want your lives. I'll take this scroll as a bonus" the voice said as a smaller fire hand is revealed to be holding the Scroll of Forbidden Seals from Iwagakure no sato. Strangely enough, the scroll is not burning but no one got to notice it.

"Damn you!"

The heat inside the fire ring intensified as the Iwa shinobis can now feel their skins burning. They gritted their teeth in agonizing pain but they did try not to scream. It was then when they noticed that the space inside the fire ring is shrinking. The fire ring is closing in on them! They packed themselves in a tight circle at the very center of the fire ring trying to prolong their life just a little bit more.

"Everyone, form an earth wall around us and pour all of your remaining chakra on it! Be quick!" the Tsuchikage ordered and his men nodded.

Getting in a circle as small as possible, they all formed the same hand seal sequence and slammed their hands on the ground. A sturdy earth ring surrounded them reducing the amount of heat they are feeling. Fire met with earth and the fight for supremacy between the two elements began.

The Iwa shinobis were sweating heavily now as they are trying their best to hold the jutsu. But the earth wall started to give in to the power to the crimson fire which is, unknown to anyone native in this world, divine. The earth ring didn't even last for half a minute before shattering and letting the men inside it be consumed by flames. They screamed in agony and used the last of their energy to try to run. But none of them where able to take five steps before turning to ashes.

When all smoke finally cleared, Hao jumped from the tree branch he is standing on and walked towards the center of the now devastated area. He looked up and saw his defeated enemies' souls floating though they are all unconscious. (Hey is it alright to say that a soul can be unconscious? Well I guess it is since this is only fiction).

"I told you your efforts are futile" he said to the souls with his wicked smile still firm on his lips though they are not hearing anything. He called forth the Spirit of Fire for its long awaited meal. It handed first the Scroll of Forbidden to its master before feeding on the souls.

'_Oh yeah, I still have to restore this forest. Boy, would you look at this mess. Perhaps I should stop using fire whenever I fight inside a forest_' Hao thought and started his maintenance duties.

After Hao restored the forest and the Spirit of Fire finished its meal, he left the area and went towards the general direction of his next target, the Yondaime Raikage and his group. Of course he didn't forget to drop his souvenir in the area and leaving a message.

'_I'm sure Iwa's border patrollers will pick it up. Hopefully, everything will go the way I want_' he thought and disappeared in a flash of fire.

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Longest chapter so far. I need to stop here for I want to have balance number of words on all of my chapters. Next chapter will be the battle or more like massacre of the Raikage and his Kumo bodyguards. Maybe I can include _some _Ame nins as well by making the fight/massacre occur in Hidden Rain


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Confusion

"Why do I always have to be in border patrol? This job is tooooooo boring" whined an Iwa chuunin.

"Oh shut up! Your whining pisses me off" said the chuunin's partner.

"Why shouldn't I whine? For so many months now, I have not received any good missions. To top that all off, I always get placed on patrol duty just like now."

"If you want some better missions then you should improve your performance and get yourself promoted to jounin. But based on your current abilities, I think those are very tough jobs."

"What the heck do you mean by that?! You want a fight, huh?!" the chuunin shouted angrily while his partner backed off warily raising his hands defensively and chuckling sheepishly.

"Jeez, you don't have to be so mad. That's not what I meant at all. That was just a joke, you know."

"Well your joke was not funny at all!"

"Told you not to get too mad."

Finally, the chuunin calmed down and gave out a heavy sigh. He stopped walking and looked up to the sky. His partner looked back at him when he noticed that he's not besides him anymore.

"What's you major malfunction now?" the partner asked.

"Tsuchikage-sama is in Amegakure right now right?"

"No I don't think so. They left only a couple of hours ago so they should only be half way to Ame. They should arrive there this afternoon."

"They are signing up an alliance with Kumogakure, right?"

"Yeah and if they are lucky, Ame's jounin commander might join in the alliance as well. Why did you suddenly ask those questions?"

"When they all agree to join forces then we'll have to prepare for another war with Konoha, right?" The chuunin's partner looked at him with a blank face his expressions quite unreadable. The chuunin looked at his partner in the same way.

"Hmm, most likely. You know we've been in cold war with Konoha for as long as I can remember. Same thing goes for Amegakure and if the rumors are right, Kumo also got in bad terms with Konoha just a year ago."

"Huh? Why did that happen?"

"Well it's not yet confirmed but I heard that they attempted to kidnap the heiress of one of Konoha's most prestigious clans exactly on the same day of her birthday last year. They got busted and the next thing that happened is very predictable so here they are, forming an alliance with other villages that also have a grudge with Konoha."

"What about us? Why do we have a grudge with Konoha?"

"Earlier, you're whining because of your boredom to border patrols. Now, you're asking me tons of questions. What's the matter with you today?" the partner asked a frown on his face.

"Hey, I'm asking you serious questions so give me serious answers!" the chuunin shouted starting to get angry again.

"You really know nothing, huh? Your ignorance is the reason why you are still a chuunin."

"Stop your insults and answer my questions seriously! I'm not joking around you know?"

"Hai, hai. Well you know, we lost lots of ninjas during the last Great Shinobi War which focuses mostly on our war with Konoha. It is said that their Yondaime Hokage killed hundreds of Iwa ninjas in just an hour making us lose in a very humiliating way."

"If Konoha got that kind of ninja then why are we still planning on waging another war with them? Sure we might get new allies by the end of the day but Konoha got an ally too. It's Sunagakure, right?"

"Haven't you heard, Konoha lost their great Yondaime Hokage along with hundreds more Konoha shinobis twelve years ago in a fight with a great beast? And ironically, the Yondaime Hokage was succeeded by the Sandaime Hokage. Without their trump card and an old man leading them, we might stand a chance on the next war should it occur" the partner said confidently.

"And what makes you think that the Yondaime Hokage is Konoha's only trump card? If they can produce a shinobi of that caliber then surely they can produce more" the chuunin countered.

"Yeah, you got a point on that one but look on the brighter side. When a war occurs then even chuunins like us will be given missions ranked A or maybe even S. What? Are you saying you are afraid of facing Konoha's strong shinobis?" the partner teased again with a grin.

"What are you saying? You'll see after the next war, I'll have hundreds of Konoha shinobis' heads as trophies displayed in our house" the chuunin declared fist high in the air making his partner sweat drop.

"You got weird hobbies. I'm leaving you here" the partner announced and started walking away.

"Hey, wait for me!" The chuunin followed but didn't get to run that much as his partner stopped again after a few meters of walking.

"Now why did you stop this time?" the chuunin asked and saw his partner sniffing the air.

"Wait. Can you smell that?"

"What do you mean?" the chuunin asked but started sniffing the air anyway. It was then that he noticed what his partner noticed.

"A strong scent of burnt flesh and sulfur. Must be someone's burned."

"Or more likely, many people are burned. Let's follow the scent and find the source" the partner said and the chuunin nodded.

They both traveled on tree branches at high speeds. The strong scent makes it easier to follow. Finally, they arrived at the place where they think the scent comes from but didn't find anything that is remotely burned not even a little bit of ash. They checked around the area to see if their assumption was right.

"Hey, I found something" the chuunin called out.

"What is it?" his partner asked running towards him.

"Looks like a letter. I found it pinned on that tree by a kunai" he answered pointing to a tree.

"Hmm, let's see what this letter says."

'_We have Iwagakure no sato's Scroll of Forbidden Seals. As for the Yondaime Tsuchikage and his bodyguards, they can be found in the afterlife_' the letter read.

"What kind of joke is this?" the chuunin asked disbelievingly. However, his partner has a serious face.

"I don't think this is a joke. We smell burnt flesh around this area and it's getting really suffocating. We better check this place some more" he said pulling out a handkerchief and tying it around the lower part of his face. The chuunin did the same as he was starting to get a little dizzy.

They started another check and found something quite troubling, a Kumo forehead protector. They both have now serious looks on their faces. No one can help but feel suspicious on the evidences they gathered.

"Those dirty double-crossers! So that's why they called for a meeting, to get our forbidden scroll" the chuunin said angrily hands balled into fists.

"It's still not confirmed. We have to report this to the council. Let's head back to the village" the partner said and headed for the tree branches as the chuunin follows.

"What do you mean it's still no confirmed? We have all the evidences we need namely the strong smell of burnt flesh, that letter and the Kumo forehead protector. What else do you want?" the chuunin said confused.

"There's something that's not right in that scene and it greatly bothers me. Besides, there's another thing."

"What do you mean?"

"We can discuss that with the council so let's speed up" the chuunin suggested and they both accelerated.

"So you two assumed that whatever stated in this letter may be true?" the eldest member of Iwagakure's council asked.

The whole of Hidden Rock's council gathered now inside the Tsuchikage tower for an emergency meeting called by the two chuunin border patrollers. The so called evidences are laid a wide table surrounded by seats where the council members are seated. One look and anyone can tell that every kind of personalities can be found on these people but they do have something in common now, a serious look on their faces.

"It's easy to conclude that Kumogakure have something to do with these evidences" the chuunin's partner said while pointing to the letter and the forehead protector.

"but there are some things in the supposedly incident scene that bother me."

"Like what?" the assigned jounin commander asked. He was tasked by the Tsuchikage to run Iwa whenever he is outside the village.

"We all know that the Tsuchikage was with 13 of his top ANBU squads in going to Amegakure so I'm sure none of them will go done without a fight. The Kumo nins may be behind this incident as proven by the forehead protector as well as the smell of burnt flesh in the incident area. They are, after all, rather good at frying their enemies using their abundant and powerful raiton jutsus but how come we didn't find even a single trace of ash or how come that part of the forest is still intact?"

"We are talking here of Tsuchikage-sama and our top ANBU members so any of our enemy wants him dead then they should have sent an entire battalion and maybe including their leader to ambush them. A very heated battle should have occurred there so that part of the forest should now be a wasteland if not wiped off the map" the partner explained while the rest of the people in the room are listening intently.

"You are saying that you didn't find any area that even looks remotely close to a battlefield?" the jounin commander asked and only received a nod as an answer.

"Could it be that that area is under a genjutsu?"

"It could be but we didn't detect anything and I don't think that that letter and forehead protector is part of the illusion."

"Aside from that, Amegakure is practically next door to our village so I don't think Kumo or any other hidden villages would dare walk near our territory especially Kumo since they are the farthest hidden village to us next to Kirigakure no sato."

"I agree to you on that one" the Jounin commander said.

"Besides, what can they do with more jutsus if they don't have enough men to use them?"

"So you are also doubting that Kumo is behind all of these?" the youngest council member asked the chuunin's and also received a nod for an answer.

"If it's not Kumo that did this, who did?" the chuunin asked making everyone in the room whisper to each other in agreement.

"We don't have to know who's really behind this incident for now. We don't even know if this is just a prank or not. I suggest we confirm first if everything said in the letter is true" the jounin commander suggested and stood up.

"I agree to that but how are we going to do that?" the eldest council member asked.

"Simple, we are going to Amegakure and try to confirm if the Raikage indeed went there. It doesn't take even two hours to go there with shinobi speed and if the Raikage is still not there then we can ask Ame's border patrols if they spotted him anywhere nearby."

"And if the Raikage doesn't really intend to go to Ame, what are we going to do?" the chuunin asked.

"Then it's safe to assume that Kumo did double-cross us. We'll have sufficient evidences by that time and the Raikage's absence will be our final reference."

"However, if Kumo wants to play safe then they might actually send the Raikage or at least someone disguised as him along with a good number of Kumo nins to Ame as another façade to trick us. So be sure that you'll bring along three times as much ninjas as the estimated number of Iwa shinobi that might be present in Ame" the oldest council member suggested.

"I'll do that."

"Also, don't disregard the possibility that Amegakure itself is involved in this incident. Kumo might be using them in their plans. We don't want another enemy that is closer than even Konoha." The jounin commander only nodded and prepared to leave.

"This meeting is adjourned."

"Yondaime Tsuchikage is still not here?" the Yondaime Raikage asked the jounin commander of Amegakure no sato's forces. He, along with more than 50 Kumo nins had recently arrived in the village where Kumo and Iwa decided to have the signing for an alliance.

"Hai. But we received a message from Iwa that the Tsuchikage had already left his village early this morning."

"They sure are slow. It's already noon. Ame and Iwa's gates are practically touching each other so they should be here even before our arrival. They should have welcomed us along with your village."

"They might have met a few complications along the way here."

"Like what? A big group of Konoha shinobi ambushed them? Like they will try an ambush within the borders of two of their enemy villages."

'_You are a little right at that one, Yondaime Raikage. Your only mistake is that not a big group of Konoha shinobi ambushed the Tsuhikage and his group. Only I killed all of them_' Hao thought. Unknown to anyone in Amegakure, spy shikigamis sent by Hao are evenly distributed all over the village and are currently monitoring all of the activities. Hao is watching all of the happenings through his shikigamis' eyes.

'_Iwa border patrollers should have the incident area by now so more or less they will send some 150 more Iwa shinobis here to investigate. Might as well prepare for a battle scaling much larger than what I anticipated. Kumo and Iwa shinobis may not be my only preys. Ame might join in the party as well_' he thought chuckling malevolently to himself.

'_Those Iwa shinobis will arrive here around two in the afternoon. Two hours is plenty of time for me to make another copy of their scroll of forbidden seals for myself_' he thought and pulled out a scroll as big as the forbidden scroll out of no where and began copying all of the jutsus written.

"Raikage-sama, I spotted more than 150 Iwa ninjas approaching the main gates of Amegakure no sato" a Kumo shinobi said. He was sent by the Raikage along seven more to do a little scouting around Ame. All of the Kumo nins are given the luxury to stay in the most fancy hotel in Amegakure no sato.

"That many? Three times more numerous than us? Boy, the Tsuchikage must be in the state of paranoia to be accompanied by that much shinobi just to come here. What does he think might happen? A war?" the Raikage said looking at the reporting Kumo nin.

"Ah Raikage-sama, actually I didn't see the Tsuchikage with them" the Kumo nin said perking the Raikage up a little.

"What do you mean you didn't see the Tsuchikage?" Just then a knock on the door was heard.

"Raikage-dono, if you please open this door. I have some important message for you" the voice behind the door said.

"It's not locked. You may come in" the Raikage replied and the door opened revealing an Ame shinobi dressed in standard jounin outfit.

"Ah, if I remember correctly, you are the jounin commander of Amegakure's forces" the Raikage said to the jounin.

"Yes, I am."

"So, what is this important message to have to tell me?"

"The assigned jounin commander of Iwagakure is here to talk to you. He is with more than 150 of Iwa shinobis which is I assumed you are already aware of. They are currently waiting outside our main gates" the Ame shinobi said.

"Yes, I am aware of that. But why is Iwa's jounin commander here instead of their Tsuhickage?" the Raikage said to himself while walking out of his room.

"Gather the others at the Ame's main gates" he ordered the Kumo nin with him in the room who nodded and immediately disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

'_Why do I get the feeling that this village is going to be messy?_' the Raikage thought as he exits the hotel.

"What do you mean the Tsuchikage and his group got ambushed on the way here?" the Raikage asked now face to face with the jounin commander of Iwagakure. The Kumo nins are all lined up behind their leader and are battle ready. The Iwa nins do look the same way as they are also lined up behind their jounin commander.

"Well, that's only an assumption since we did find an area not too far from our main gates that became some sort of a wasteland like a large scale battle had occurred there" the commander replied half lying.

'_Or at least the area did smell like a battlefield_' he added in his thoughts.

Earlier, the Iwa jounin commander and his group went pass the area where the two chuunin border patrollers claimed that they smelled a strong scent of burnt flesh. They did smell something was burnt but not that strong to suffocate anyone. They only concluded that the wind had already carried most of the scent.

"You got any clues that might tell us the perpetrators?" the Raikage asked.

"Actually yes but not that much to tell us enough details. We even thought that this might only be a prank that's why we came here to see if the Tsuchikage and his group did arrive here but seeing that they are not….."

"This is indeed not a prank" the Raikage continued for the Iwa nin.

"Did you bring the clues?"

"Ah, good thing that you asked. I thought that you will want to see these" the jounin commander said while pulling out a piece of paper from his pocket and giving it to the Raikage who read the contents.

"Hmm, so one of the motives of the perpetrators is clearly Iwa's scroll of forbidden seals but this letter doesn't really tell much. Do you have some other clues?"

"This" the Iwa nin said while pulling out another thing from his other pocket which makes the Raikage's eyes widen as well as his Kumo nins', a Kumo forehead protector. The Raikage regained his composure and looked at all of the Iwa nins present with calmness.

"So that's why you bring this much shinobi with you" he said calmly.

"Yes but this is just incase you and your shinobis refuse to be investigated and refuse to be collected should our assumption be proven to be correct" the jounin commander replied with the same calmness.

The Kumo nins became more wary at what they heard and prepared to draw their weapons making the Iwa nins prepare for a bloody battle as well. But both sides were calmed down by their respective leaders.

"I understand why we became your prime suspects but look here. First, let's say that we are the ones who really did all of these and let's say that the reason why we called for a meeting for an alliance between our villages is to cover our intentions. But why do I have to waste time along with over 50 of my shinobis to come here? It's a bloody two weeks walk from Kumo to Ame! Maybe to act as another façade? Why do we have to stay here if we already have what we want?"

"Second, why would we ambush the Tsuchikage and his group while they are still in your freaking territory?! That's practically suicidal and not worth it for just your forbidden scroll and the life of your Tsuchikage and 50 of his ninjas. We might loose even more, you know."

"Last but not the least, what can we do with more jutsus if we don't have that much men to use them?!" the Raikage finished with his reasoning.

"We are thinking the same thing, Raikage-dono. I just want you to know that we are not suspecting you that much" the jounin commander with a smile acknowledging the Raikage's reasoning. His smile didn't last long and was immediately replaced with a frown. He placed his right hand on his chin and thought out loud.

"But if the Kumo nins got nothing to do with the Tsuchikage's disappearance then who did?"

The question was answered when blazing crimson flames suddenly ignited on the ground surrounding the Kumo and Iwa nins. The ones nearby the firewall were immediately incinerated. They couldn't do anything about their burning body. They only managed to scream in agonizing pain before dying and turning to ash after just a few seconds. A dark laugh then echoed loud enough to be heard by many Ame shinobis.

"You seriously want to know? I did and you can ask the king of hell who I am in the afterlife" the owner of the dark laughter said.

"What's happening here?!" the Ame's jounin commander asked loudly to anyone who can hear. He immediately ran towards their main gates after spotting the giant ring of fire. An Ame jounin approached him and answered.

"I don't exactly know, sir. The Kumo and Iwa nins were just having their conversation when these monstrous flames suddenly came out of no where around them."

"Well don't just stand there. Use whatever suiton jutsus you know and extinguish the fire before it spreads and the ones inside got barbecued!" the jounin commander ordered frantically.

"I already did, sir. Other of our men also helped but the fire is just too hot that water immediately evaporated after meeting it!" just then more cries of agony were heard from the other side of the firewall.

"Hurry and call for more help!" The Ame jounin immediately complied and ran off. The Jounin commander turned towards the firewall and formed a series of hand seals before calling out the most power suiton jutsu he know.

"Suiton: Suishoha!" A giant water wave rushed at the firewall but immediately evaporated upon meeting the raging inferno.

'_That's indeed one hot fire!_' he thought and heard more screams of death.

'_Damn those slowpokes! Come here quickly!_' he cursed his Ame shinobis.

Words of the Yondaime Raikage, Yondaime Tsuchikage and more than 200 Kumo and Iwa shinobis' demise quickly spread throughout the shinobi world. These are not just simple deaths. This is a massacre. The people from Amegakure know more than anyone else because it happened right at the front of their village. But no one has a clue on who killed so many powerful shinobis so easily. No one but a few people from Konoha and of course the killer himself know.

"Uzumaki Naruto, can you explain yourself?!" the Sandaime Hokage said almost shouting at the young ANBU standing in front of him.

Naruto returned to Konoha right after he finished his first mission which didn't even last for three days. He could have returned earlier but he wanted to produce a copy of both Kumo and Iwa's Scrolls of Forbidden Seals. Once he arrives in Konoha, he'll have more troublesome times in infiltrating the Hokage tower just to copy a few jutsus from the scrolls. After returning, he went straight to the Hokage tower to give his report.

"What should I explain? Did I do something wrong?" he asked the Hokage innocently. Sandaime could swear that steam is rising from his head in anger.

"Yes, you did! You disobeyed my orders!" he stated giving more emphasis on each word than usual.

"What did I disobey?" Naruto only asked innocently again. Sandaime wanted to tear out his remaining white hair out of his head.

"I told you that your targets are only the forbidden scrolls not all the Kumo and Iwa shinobis you saw!"

"I don't think I really disobeyed any of your orders, old man" Naruto said as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"And why do you think so?!" the Hokage asked trying to challenge the young ANBU's reasoning.

"Well, you did say that my targets are the forbidden scrolls but you didn't say anything about not killing the Kumo and Iwa shinobis. Besides, you also didn't say anything about the method of approach I should use for the mission. Do you get what I mean?" Naruto explained. Sandaime only stared at him dumbly before speaking.

"Yes, I think I do but you were still not careful! What if someone from Ame, Kumo or Iwa spotted you? Even if you did kill the Raikage, Tsuchikage and over 200 more shinobis, that will still not stop any of our enemy villages from immediately declaring a war against us!"

"Oh you don't have to worry about that, old man. I made it sure that no one saw even my shadow. Besides, my forehead protector is hidden by my cloak and I don't have a Konoha mark on my ANBU mask so definitely no one knows, except for you, me and probably the council, where I came from. Didn't you know that everyone wants to know who killed all of those ninjas?"

"And why are you whining about my mission, old man? You should be happy that I killed the two leaders of our enemy villages along with many more of their ninjas. Consider that a free service from me since you are only paying me the cost of an S ranked mission instead of a SS ranked one."

'_The jutsus I got from those forbidden scrolls are more than enough payment for me_' Naruto added in his thoughts.

"And why don't you ask the council their opinion about my recent actions? I'm sure they are also happy and will agree with me" he stated.

'_There's no doubt about that. They want our enemies dead more than I do. They might even send Naruto to attack Ame, Kumo and Iwa or worse, declare a war against them. No! I will not allow that to happen! We are only going to exercise our right to aggressive defense incase another war ensues. We will not invade other villages or countries just to stop a war_' the Hokage thought and sighed before talking again.

"Alright, you made your point, Naruto-kun. Tomorrow morning, come back here for your next mission. You may leave those scrolls here. I'll take care of their hiding place. You are dismissed." Naruto saluted and left.

'_I expected Naruto-kun to become some sort of a cold hearted monster once he joins but this is ridiculous! Now I don't have the face to show the Yondaime in the after life. Why is life so cruel?_' Sandaime thought anime tears pouring from his eyes.

This chapter is kind of rushed. I'm sorry. My laziness is acting up again. Next chapter, how can I get Hao/Naruto to be with the Rookie nine? Also, any suggestions on the alias he should have?


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Demoted?

"Hmm, so this are the list of passers for this years batch of academy graduates, huh?" the Sandaime Hokage thought out loud while looking at a piece of paper where a list of names were written.

"As expected, Uchiha Sasuke became the Rookie Genin of this year. No less is expected from the last remaining Uchiha in Konoha" Homura stated.

'_One of the last remaining Uchiha in Konoha if Naruto-kun is included. Boy, I think they really have to know_' Sandaime thought.

For the past seven years, a lot of outstanding events occurred mostly involving the youngest and strongest ANBU member Konoha has to offer, Uzumaki Naruto. Due to his success in slaying the Yondaime Raikage and Yondaime Tsuchikage along with over two hundred and fifty Kumo and Iwa nins, though only the Konoha council and the Hokage know about this, the Konoha council are even more determined in finding a mission that will surely bring his death. In other words, a suicide mission. They fear that the blonde jinchuriki (though he's actually not since he already slain the Kyuubi right after he was born in this world) will surely destroy Konoha since he already has more than enough power to take out so many ninjas including two kages.

Sandaime Hokage tried once again to convince them that Naruto has no such evil plan like destroying Konoha or any other village. Even if he does have one then he should have already executed it since he already has the power to accomplish it. But all of the old man's reasoning fell on deaf ears as the council still force him or if they can't, secretly send Naruto to missions accomplishable only by several teams of high ranked shinobis. In other words, these missions are considered to be suicidal when given to a team consisting of less than twelve jounin level ninjas.

But all of their attempts of sending the young ANBU to his death are proven to be futile as all of his missions are done with perfect efficiency. As a result, he was given the alias Onikage or Demon Shadow and is known all throughout the shinobi world though only the Konoha council and the Hokage know who he really is. This is due to his elusive nature making sure that everyone will only have a glimpse of his shadow. Those who are unfortunate enough to meet him face to face are either now with their maker or inside the Great Spirit of Fire's stomach.

But the real highlight of the events for the past seven years is the brutal massacre of the one of the most prominent clans in Konoha, the Uchiha clan. The suspected criminal is no other than the clan's greatest prodigy, Uchiha Itachi. Well, he did leave his little brother, Uchiha Sasuke, to live but under a great trauma and then later to tell everyone who killed his family.

No one knows why Itachi killed his own clan and why he only left his younger brother alive. Not even Hao knows the reason. He could have known if he only met the Uchiha prodigy once but he didn't. He could have also left to track and take out this ruthless criminal but he didn't even know which direction he went nor can he find any traces of him. Itachi is a real genius to be able to hide his tracks from the likes of Hao. Hao himself admitted that he never met anyone of that caliber in such a young age since his younger twin brother in the other world, Yoh.

'_Which also makes me wonder, why is Naruto-kun still not showing his Sharingan? His magnificent abilities and all of those tough missions should have awakened his bloodline limit. Then there are only two reasons why I still don't see it. One, his Sharingan is still dormant and therefore, he is not aware of it. Two, he does have the Sharingan now but he's keeping it a secret to everyone_' the Hokage thought silently chuckling to himself.

'_If he really is hiding his Sharingan then the title Onikage definitely fits him. Such an elusive boy indeed._'

"We now have Uchiha Sasuke in our ninja ranks. This is the starting point of the restoration of our military force to its former strength" Koharu stated excitingly.

"But we have a slight problem with the graduating batch this year" the Hokage said lowering the excitement everyone in the conference room is feeling.

"A slight problem, huh? Then it should not be that much of a bother to solve no matter what it is" Homura said.

"Hokage-sama, what could this slight problem be?" Hiashi asked a little worried. He believes that a problem, no matter how small it is, is still a problem and can grow to ridiculous sizes in the long run if proper attention isn't applied to it. He doesn't want this slight problem be the reason why his eldest daughter, Hyuuga Hinata, will not be a genin this year.

"Well, take a look at this" the Hokage said showing the contents of the paper he is holding. Some of the council members who are farther away from the Hokage have to stand up and take a step closer to see the paper.

"As you can see, we only have twenty six graduates this year, one too short to make teams with three members."

"That's not much of a problem. For as long as Uchiha Sasuke gets a proper team, the other graduates are insignificant" one of the council members said making Hiashi glare at him hard. If looks can kill, this council member should have been dead by now.

"So you are saying that my daughter is one of the _insignificant _graduates?" the Hyuuga head said menacingly leaking a little bit of killer intent. The foolish council member raised his hands in defense.

"No, absolutely not, Hyuuga-dono. I'm still not finish with my words yet, you know. I mean thirty three percent of the total graduates will become full time genins this year so Lady Hinata might still become one of them."

"You should say that Lady Hinata must be one of them. She is a Hyuuga after all" Inuzuka Tsume said.

"She's not just a Hyuuga I'm telling you. She has great skills and even greater potential than maybe even Uchiha Sasuke" Hiashi said proudly.

"I don't want to be rude, Hyuuga-dono but how can you say that? I mean are you saying that Lady Hinata is better than Sasuke? How did that happen when she only received average grades? On top of that, she even has a pretty long list of absence in the academy."

"The academy doesn't tell anything about a child's real skill, you fool. Do you want to know why my daughter skipped classes?" the Hyuuga head stated with a proud smirk.

"What else could be the reason why kids skip classes other than having a leisure time?" The tone the council member used was not mocking but his words are.

"Enough with your arguments!" the Hokage shouted silencing everyone in the conference room and ending the word fight.

"You" he said pointing to the foolish council member.

"You should stop saying unnecessary words or stop saying anything altogether. Your words are not only hitting the Hyuuga clan but also the other clans as well." The council member looked around the room and saw that the other clan heads are looking him death evident in their eyes. He feels like his body is shrinking from fear and shame.

"I say, Hokage-sama, that we should take him out of the council. Ever since he joined, he has done nothing but say useless words. He hasn't been one bit useful to us" Nara Shikato suggested still glaring at the council member.

"We can't do that, at least not yet. But should unnecessary statements come out of his mouth once again, we're going to kick him out of the council immediately" the Hokage replied with the most menacing voice among anyone in the room. The council member shrunk even more at the old Hokage's threat.

"Now as I was saying when I'm rudely interrupted, if we arrange the teams for this year's graduates, one team will be short of one member because of the uneven amount of genin exam passers" the old man continued.

"I have a suggestion that might solve that problem but first, Sarutobi, if you have your own plan, please do tell us" Homura said.

"Thank you that you let me speak first. Well, one of the suggestions that I have is that we form two teams consisting of four members" Sandaime said.

"That maybe a good idea since we are planning to have one member in a shinobi team to be a medic nin but the problem is we don't have any jounin instructor talented enough to teach one member medical jutsus and at the same time teach the other members other basic and advance shinobi skills. Even if we don't have a plan of training one of the members of a shinobi team the art of healing and medicine, I still don't think that we have a jounin instructor well prepared to teach four genins. They are all trained to lead a cell consisting of five men or more but not teach four man and more" Hiashi stated.

"Thank you for interpreting it. I also have anticipated that that's why I regarded it as one of our less likely solution. Another suggestion that I have is that we pull out a higher ranked shinobi, preferably a chuunin who remains a chuunin for quite some time now, and temporarily place him/her in the empty spot. We can't, however, pull out newly promoted chuunins and jounins since everyone else might think that we are being inconsiderate with them although it's only temporarily" the Hokage replied.

"A brilliant plan. That's what I also have in mind but we should also consider the age gap between the higher ranked ninja and the graduates this year or else there might be an uneasy relationship between them. You know the saying _Old men should stay with other old men and young ones should stay with other young ones_. But we will surely have a problem with convincing any higher ranked ninjas to give up their rank even though it's only for a short period of time" Homura replied.

"We can just tell any of them that it will be a mission and they can't refuse it since it's a direct order from the Hokage. But you are right about considering the age gap between the higher rank ninja and the graduates this year" Koharu stated.

"The only problem is where can we find that kind of ninja in who has been in his/her rank for quite a long time now and has the most fitting age?" Everyone in the conference room fell in deep thought trying to remember if they that kind of shinobi in their ranks. Suddenly, all of their heads perked up and simultaneously looked at the Hokage as if saying that they do have that kind of ninja. The aging Konoha leader looked back at all of them and let out a deep breath before speaking again.

"I know that he will come into your minds as well. Well then, we shall have him….." but even before he can finish his sentence, he was again interrupted this time by the entire council.

"No! Absolutely not! He's a far too valuable ninja for us. We can't just pull him out of his current duties just for this measly problem" Homura protested knowing the _he_ they are all talking about.

Sandaime smiled at the genuine appreciation they are showing towards Naruto. Due to the young ANBU's impressive skill, one hundred percent success rate in all of his missions and hard work, he gained respect from all of them. Although it is not that much and they still have the same amount of hate towards him, it is still respect and a great progress in the relationship between the council and Naruto.

"Oh, you don't have to whine so much. Naruto-kun is just going to be relieved from his ANBU duties and join one of this year's genin teams until at least one of the rookies is promoted to chuunin. If we are lucky then his team will fail in the true genin exam one of the jounin instructors will give them" the Hokage replied piping down the council a notch.

"But that is only if we are lucky" Koharu retorted.

"Let's say that his team does pass the true genin exam then that means that we will have to wait for a minimum of six months until he gets back to the ANBU. What if during that time period another one of those beasts….."

"You mean to say one of those tyrannosaurus rexes" the Hokage said trying to help his former teammate pronounce the tongue twisting term.

"Make that 'dinosaurs' since that's the general term Naruto gave to those oversized lizards" Koharu said.

"If you are really have a tough time pronouncing tyrannosaurus rex then you can just call it t-rex. Naruto-kun said we can use that name" the Hokage said.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll just cal it t-rex. Damn that boy! Why did he have to give those overgrown lizards tongue twisting names?" Koharu whined.

"Naruto said that he also got his tongue twisted when he tried to speak upon encountering those giants and the terms just got out of his mouth" Hiashi defended.

"As I was saying, what if one of those t-rexes got lost again near our village? If Nartuo is not around, we will need someone who has a giant animal summon like the sannins to properly eliminate the threat" Koharu said.

"She's right and like everyone knows, the only ones have those kinds of animal summons are the sannins. And we all know that the only sannin willing to help us now is Jiraiya who's, unfortunately, very hard to contact. So the next best thing we can do is to dispatch at least one hundred shinobis for each t-rex and we are not even sure if there will be no casualties" Homura said helping his former teammate reason out.

"You are worrying over matters that should not be bothered that much. T-rexes and other dinosaurs including other giant animals rarely get lost on places where humans live. For the past seven years, we only have thirteen recorded incidents of a lost dinosaur near or in our territory. Should it happen again during the time Naruto is not in the ANBU, we can easily call him back here and ask him to do the job for us. We shouldn't have that much trouble pulling him out of his temporary genin team since genins, especially the rookies, are usually tasked to do only D to C ranked missions which are mostly done within our territory. And should his genin team is assigned to a mission outside our borders; we can easily call him through his mobile phone. Communications nowadays are made simpler with these gadgets" the Hokage reasoned showing his advance mobile phone model.

"That's reasonable enough" Nara Shikato said and the rest of the council finally agreed.

"Besides, ever since Naruto-kun became a ninja, he has never been able to work with a team. All of his missions are done solo. This is the right time for him to learn the concept of teamwork" the Hokage said and everyone in the room nodded in agreement.

"So it is decided that we will pull him out of the ANBU temporarily and fill the empty spot in one of the genin teams this year. The question is who the ones you are planning to team him up with, Sarutobi?" Homura asked.

"Hmm, I've already fixed the other eight teams according to each member's abilities. Akimichi Chouji, Nara Shikamaru and Yamanaka Ino are all in the same team seeing how they work well together just as much as their fathers are" the Hokage replied.

"Shouldn't Nara Shikamaru be on the same team as Uchiha Sasuke? Sasuke is the Rookie genin this year and Shikamaru is the dead last after all so I think is only reasonable to place them on the same team" Aburame Shibi inquired.

"It is also reasonable and the standard method we always use each year when it comes to the dead last and rookie genin but our top priority for each shinobi team is that one member will be the best supplement for the others. The academy teachers observed that Shikamaru works best with Chouji and Ino" the Hokage replied as Shibi nodded in understanding. The Hokage continued speaking.

"The next team is consisting of Aburame Shino, Hyuuga Hinata and Inuzuka Kiba. They family abilities make them ideal for a reconnaissance and combat team."

Aburame Shibi and Inuzuka Tsume nodded in agreement. Their clans' abilities are best for complimenting each other therefore the Aburames, Hyuugas and Inuzukas are considered to be one of the best when it comes to working together second only to the famous Ino-Shika-Chou. However, Hyuga Hiashi doesn't look so happy and is a bit disappointed with the team arrangement for his daughter.

If he is only in charge of arranging the genin teams this year then he would have placed Naruto on the same team as his daughter. Naruto, after all, is the one who saved Hinata eight years ago from the hands of the Hidden Cloud. In any case, he is assured that she will always be safe just by being at Naruto's side. The young ANBU has the power to defend her from any enemies probably even from the entire shinobi force of Kumogakure no sato or any other hidden villages.

Not only that, Naruto is also the reason why Hinata is absolutely determined to become a strong heiress of the Hyuuga clan. She is so determined that she will go as far as to skip classes in the academy whenever she feels that it is insignificant and uses the time to train. He became her inspiration probably even larger than her own father. Therefore, she is so strong now that Hiashi feels that she can already join the ANBU and be with Naruto in doing high ranked missions. But of course, a father will not be so sure of his daughter's safety so much that he will always want someone strong enough to be by her side. Hiashi also observed that his daughter has taken a liking to the young ANBU for the reasons understandable by anyone who doesn't hate Naruto. This is probably the main reason Hiashi will tell if he is asked why he wants Hinata be with Naruto.

"So, in which team will you place Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto?" the council member impatiently asked.

"Oh, I'm planning to put them on the same team along with Haruno Sakura" the Hokage replied a little too cheerfully. All of the council members' jaws dropped at what they heard.

"Will that not cause any irregularities in team arrangements? After all, Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto are the Rookie genins of their respective batches" Homura stated but the Hokage only answered him simply.

"Just like what I said earlier, the grades of neither the graduates nor their rankings in the class aren't our top priority in team arrangements. Among the children of their age, Naruto and Sasuke excel in combat. Sakura, being the smartest girl in their class, can act as their brain and coordinate their actions properly. Nothing more is the best team for these three kids. Won't you agree?" The Hokage raised his right hand and formed the peace sign making everyone else in the room sweat drop.

"Yeah, I guess that can work" Shikato agreed after some time contemplating.

"And if any case that demon try something he shouldn't, Uchiha Sasuke is only there to kill him" the foolish council member stated smirking wickedly. Everyone else's eyes narrowed at him for saying something they believe he shouldn't.

"What did I tell you about your unnecessary statements?" the Hokage said his voice more menacing than ever before.

"What? Did I say something wrong? I believe I don't. I just said that Uchiha Sasuke can kill that demon brat whenever it tries something it shouldn't" the foolish council member replied innocently though aware of the threatening glares he is receiving.

"Such naiveté. Your last statement is what is wrong. Now, with our agreement earlier, you are to be kicked out in any case unnecessary statements come out of your mouth" the Hokage said as calm as possible trying not to kick the foolish council member out of the room himself.

"But what I said was….."

"Enough! You are to go out of this room and never show your face to us again or do you want me to use my leg and kick you out myself?!" the Hokage is now shouting and is standing trying to interpret to the foolish council member that he is serious.

"Damn it!" the council member cursed silently as he left the room. He doesn't want to wait until he is literary kick out since he's only a plain politician with no experience whatsoever in combat. The door closed after he left and the conference resumed once again.

"Now that the trash is out, we can proceed. So, does anyone here against my plans?" the Hokage asked looking at the council members remaining. When no one spoke he continued speaking.

"Well, if no one is against it then it shall be executed." With that, everyone filed out of the room.

"Get Uzumaki Naruto Hatake Kakashi to my office" the Hokage ordered the guard who only nodded and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Now why would I want to do that?!" Naruto shouted to the Hokage now in the Hokage's office. The Hokage told him about the plans he discussed with the council earlier and Naruto isn't quite happy with it.

(-------------)

'_To think that those people will agree to this not so reluctantly is beyond my understanding. I mean they should have just disagreed plainly and continue giving me missions like those with the tyrannosaurus rexes. Damn, who would have imagined that dinosaurs exist in this world in the same time line as humans? And the carnivorous ones are even bigger than the Brachiosaurus in my former world. They can even use chakra to booth! But I guess I shouldn't be too surprised since this world is filled with even weirder creatures like giant snakes and frogs_' Naruto thought remembering his hardest missions.

"Because this is a direct order from me" the Hokage replied simply.

"I think that's an abuse of power on your part" Naruto said sweat dropping at the Hokage's simple answer.

"You should be happy for this is your first ever A class mission!" the Hokage said overenthusiastically making the young ANBU sweat drop again.

"I shouldn't be too excited since I only do S and higher ranked missions and why did you consider this one A ranked? True it concerns about shinobis but there are only two genin wannabes and a jounin and I'm not even going to fight them. This is more like a B ranked mission" Naruto said.

"It is a B ranked mission" the Hokage said plainly making the young Anbu fell down anime style.

"The only reason why it became A ranked is because of the duration. Anyway there's absolutely no reason for you to refuse this mission. In the shinobi rule, a ninja mustn't refuse a mission just because of certain circumstances. Do you get me?" Sandaime asked with authority.

"Yeah, yeah, I get you. So this mission will start tomorrow, right?" Naruto inquired.

"Yes. Be sure to be there before the jounin instructors come to pick up their respective teams."

"Oh, don't worry about me. I'm not like that Hatake Kakashi who's always three hours late on meetings no matter how significant it is" Naruto said and as if on cue the door opened to reveal a man wearing a mask to cover half of his face and the forehead protector over his left eye. He wears the standard jounin uniform so there's no mistake that he is a jounin.

"Someone mentioning my name in this room?" the man inquired with a bored look in his uncovered eye.

"You are late again Kakashi. You don't seem to learn your lesson about tardiness" the Hokage said a bit irritated.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I just got lost on the road of life" the man named Kakashi said with a goofy smile. Though it's not visible, one can tell that he's smiling because his visible eye is now curved upwards forming an upside down U. Obviously, his excuse wasn't bought by the other people in the Hokage's office.

"If you got lost on the road of life then you should be dead by now since the meaning of getting lost is being out of the track one should be taking" Naruto said out of nowhere with a not so respectful voice. Kakashi turned to the short ANBU with a curious look.

"Do I know you?" he asked but the Hokage was the one to speak.

"You may leave now. Your meeting with me today is over. Just don't forget about your mission" Sandaime said obviously referring to the young ANBU who saluted and left the room.

"Who was that?" Kakashi asked again but this time to the Hokage.

"Just like what you saw, he is an ANBU member" the Hokage replied simply making Kakashi sweat dropped.

"You always give god forsaken excuses for your tardiness so a god forsaken answer once in a while will not do you any harm" the Hokage spoke again.

"Anyway, why did you call for me, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked getting into business mode.

"For your team assignment" was the short answer of Sandaime as he gave the jounin a piece of paper which was read upon received.

"I'm not wondering why you placed Uchiha Sasuke under my wing but Uzumaki Naruto? I thought he became a genin seven years ago. Are you saying that he's still a genin up until now? If so how come? He's the rookie genin of his year" came Kakashi's numerous questions.

"One answer for all of your questions, I don't want him to become like Itachi" the Hokage said half lying half telling the truth. Good thing the jounin didn't notice the lie and bought the entire answer.

"I see. I understand" Kakashi said a bit solemnly.

"If he becomes like Itachi, he'll destroy not just a clan but the entire village. But he was in service for first three years upon his graduation. I stopped him only after the Uchiha massacre. Consider this as his first mission after four years" the Hokage said lying full time now though again Kakashi bought it.

"So what was he doing during those years?" Kakashi asked.

"Training of course" was the simple answer.

"And Kakashi, the council wants you to pass this team no matter what the circumstances are" the Hokage said his seriousness increased a bit.

"Heh, Konoha just needs their last remaining Uchiha on duty as soon possible, huh?" Kakashi said smirking at the stupidity of his own village.

"If this is all you're going to tell then I'll take my leave now."

"Go ahead then" the Hokage permitted and Kakashi left him alone in his office. The Hokage sighed and looked at the Yondaime's picture.

'_Though this is not needed since Naruto is maintaining his happy-go-lucky-though-sometimes-a-bit-scary attitude, if something good can become better then why put asunder to it, right, Yondaime?_'

(-------------)

A bit too long for a chapter not so significant, right? Anyway, I think it was alright put dinosaurs in this fic since there other weird animals in the Naruto world.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 8: Genin Wannabes

'_Damn that old man! He gave this puny mission along with many ridiculous reasons why I should accept it_' Hao thought while walking towards his home which never changed through the years.

'_He even tried to give me a reason which I can't even consider a reason!_' he thought as he remembered what he read in the Hokage's earlier during their meeting.

'It was Yondaime's dying wish that you were seen as a hero, but if things go on, people will view you as a demon more so then they already do and fear you, you must get to know the people of Konoha so you would want to protect it and make some friends because you have been alone for your entire life.'

'_Why must humans be so mushy no matter what world they are in? I mean that Hokage is thinking exaggerated stuff like I will destroy this village just because I ran crazy. I already swore to myself and I'm swearing again that I will not do something out of my craziness. Well I admit that I'm sometimes crazy since I'm only human after all though not normal but I'm not the type who does things with deranged and out-of-his-mind look on his face._' Hao should talk for himself, shouldn't he?

'_And why of all the graduates this year, why did he have to place me in a team with that Uchiha Sasuke? I mean I'm an Uchiha too but that doesn't mean that I know everyone from my clan. He should have placed me with someone I know from that batch_' Hao thought but then he stopped walking as he realized something but not so important.

'_Come to think of it, the only kid I know of my age or at least the age of this body is that Hyuuga girl I saved eight years ago. If I remember correctly, her name is Hyuuga Hinata and she's the heiress of her clan. Come to think of it that's about all I know about her so that means it really doesn't matter that much whoever my teammates will be_' he thought and continued on walking.

Upon arriving at his house, he took off his demon mask, black cloak and fingerless gloves and set them on his bed. He walked towards a mirror and looked at himself for a while. He brushed his black dyed hair which now is now silky and long reaching down to his waist.

'_Kakashi might recognize this hairstyle and color so I better change it back to its original_' he thought. He doesn't want anyone more to know who he really is as he believes that a ninja should be as elusive and secretive as possible therefore preceding the title given to him, Demon Shadow.

He walked away from the mirror after a while and walked towards a stand containing a pitch black sword. The sword, however, can't really be called a sword as it does not have a hilt or guard. Its 'handle' is covered by black bandages and the whole weapon itself is as tall as Hao. (Imagine Zangetsu's initial released state though the blade is shaped more like that of a Blademaster's from Warcraft III when he was shown fighting a Mountain King in a wallpaper created by Blizzard.)

"Looks like you are not going in battle for a while, Kaiketsu (Resolution)" he said as if talking to the blade.

(-------------)

"Oh boy, oh boy, another genin team for me this year, huh? And this time, it looks like it will be my first true genin team" Kakashi said talking to himself. He is now in his apartment studying the files of the members of his future genin team. He got his jounin vest, kunai and shuriken pouches, and shinobi sandals off to make himself comfortable. He still wears his mask and forehead protector to cover three fourths of his face. He only skimmed through the files and read the summary for each report of each of the kids he's going to lead.

"Hmm, let's see. My first student is named Haruno Sakura. Though her taijutsu, ninjutsu and genjutsu are wimpy, she got the highest marks in written exams and considered to be the smartest in her batch probably even smarter than Uchiha Sasuke. She also appears to have potential in genjutsu as she is rarely caught in an illusion" Kakashi read aloud.

"Nothing much can be expected from this girl as she only appears to be a bookworm except that with proper training, she can be as good or even better than that Yuuhi Kurenai when it comes to genjutsu" he said to himself as he sets his plans for a training program for the pink haired kunoichi.

"Well next is Uchiha Sasuke. He got the second highest marks in written exams next only to Haruno Sakura. His taijutsu and ninjutsu are exceptional. Though his genjutsu arsenal isn't that much, he is also rarely caught in an illusion. Hmm, typical report of a rookie genin, nothing much is surprising in his files but looks like the only thing that I can teach him is how to use the Sharingan though I doubt that he has already awakened it. I can improve his taijutsu if needed and make his ninjutsu and genjutsu arsenal a bit wider to create a balance in his fighting style" he said aloud his plans already fixed for the last known remaining Uchiha in Konoha even before he read the files.

"And last but not the least, Uzumaki Naruto. He got one hundred percent rating in written exams. His taijutsu, ninjutsu and genjutsu are also considered perfect. Hey wait a second, these are only the files I got about him?" he asked himself as he shuffled through the other files he has on his work table.

"These are only reports about him from the academy! I don't have any files of him during his term of service not even mission reports. Must be the Sandaime forgetting to give me the files I need about him" he said and fell in deep thought.

'_No, the Sandaime maybe old but his memories are even sharper than mine. It's impossible for him to forget such an important matter. He knows that jounin instructors need as much information as they can get about their genin teams. Then that only means that he purposely didn't give me Naruto's files, but why?_' Kakashi thought as he tries to answer the question for himself. Then as if a ton of blocks, the answer came upon him though he is not sure if it is correct.

"I remember now! Eight years ago Naruto managed to save the Hyuuga heiress, who is also an academy graduate today, from the hands of a Kumo shinobi. ANBU were watching how he fought the foreign ninja and they must have invited him to join the ANBU too right after he graduated from the academy a year later. An ANBU member's profiles are only limited to the sights of other ANBU members, the council and the Hokage himself."

"Damn it! That's the reason why I don't want to become a jounin instructor. I'm getting late on most of the important issues in this world" he said scratching his head in irritation but he later sighed and smirked to himself.

"But what do you know that Naruto became an ANBU member at an age even younger than when I became a chuunin. Too bad for him Sandaime forced him to give up his status four years ago. If not for the Uchiha massacre, he must be in the real shinobi field right now doing A and other high ranked missions. Now he is stuck in a genin team which will only be assigned in doing D and C rank missions. That Uchiha Itachi did more damage to us than what we initially thought. But if Naruto is lucky, a C ranked mission that we will be receiving might become a B or even an A ranked one but that's very unlikely to happen" he said happily as he chuckles to himself but he stopped in mid laugh when he realized something and sighed before speaking again.

"Come to think of it, _we_ are both stuck in doing D and C ranked missions."

(-------------)

The Hokage sighed for what seemed to be the hundredth time now. Dealing with youngsters at present time seemed to be tougher than before the Kyuubi attacked Konoha. He remembered how the younger academy teachers protested to him earlier when he called the academy staffs for a meeting to give them the list of team arrangements for the graduates this year.

_Flashback_

"You are putting that demon kid in a genin team and to top it all off, in the same team as Uchiha Sasuke?!" a chuunin teacher named Mizuki shouted at the Hokage. Some of the other teachers shouted in agreement.

"Silence!" the Hokage shouted back at them and room fell again in complete silence before he spoke again.

"I didn't call you here to discuss that nonsense again. I called you here to discuss to you the team arrangements for this year's graduates!"

"This matter isn't that of nonsense, Hokage-sama. Whenever a matter is about that demon, it isn't of nonsense. You put it in a genin team when its feet didn't even touch the academy grounds so how can you call that nonsense, huh? That's beyond my wildest imagination!" Mizuki continued in pestering the Hokage.

"Naruto's feet did touch the academy grounds, Mizuki-sensei" an elder academy teacher said who's also revealed to be one of the teachers who taught Naruto more than seven years ago. The Hokage sighed in relief that he has someone in the room who can help him explain to the amateur teachers.

"Oh yeah? When then?" Mizuki challenged.

"Eight years ago and he didn't just touch and left the academy grounds. He became the rookie genin a year after" the elder teacher replied calmly but with a little pride. He is after all impressed by Naruto's performance.

Mizuki, however, didn't really believe him as he narrowed his eyes and looked at the other elder teachers as if he is asking them if what he heard is correct. They all nodded truth not even a bit covered in their eyes making the younger teachers' eyes widen a little. Mizuki was the first one to return from his state of shock and surprisingly he even managed to chuckle. The elder teachers' eyes were the next ones to narrow as if they are thinking that Mizuki didn't really believe them.

"Well, I guess it is all okay since that demon does have Uchiha Sasuke as its teammate. It will surely have a hard time trying something nasty if Sasuke is around" Mizuki said a hateful smirk plastered on his face. His colleagues soon had the same smirks on their faces upon realizing that what he was _true_.

However, the elder teachers are not quite convinced that Uchiha Sasuke can defeat Uzumaki Naruto as their eyes are still narrowed at their younger counterparts. Sure, Sasuke is the rookie genin of this year and they observed that his title is backed up by his undeniable skills. He is also of the Uchiha clan which means that he has exceptional abilities but that still doesn't mean that he is the superior one above Naruto. Between the two boys, Naruto has the higher grades on all concepts whether it is written exams, taijutsu exams, ninjutsu exams and gentjutsu exams. He also graduated in an age far younger than Sasuke and became the rookie genin of his year as well. But there's something that's not right in the situation, something that, fortunately, one of the younger teachers noticed.

"Ano, Hokage-sama, if this Uzumaki Naruto already graduated in the academy seven years ago then why is he still a genin today?" a young man with a scar across his nose asked. The room again fell in silence as everyone realized the same thing. They all looked at the Hokage their eyes are clearly asking the same question.

"That's a simple question, Iruka. That demon really didn't graduate seven years ago. The report of his graduation was merely a fluke" Mizuki replied as if he is the one being asked.

"If that is true then why did he manage to get into a genin team this year when he didn't even take any genin exams?" the man named Iruka asked again. Mizuki took a step back at the question realizing that Iruka was right. Mizuki again attempted to answer but the Hokage beat him to it.

"I'll answer that one Iruka-kun and Mizuki, keep your mouth shut as you are not the one being questioned in the first place" the Hokage warned making Mizuki took another step back.

"I apologize for my lack of respect, Hokage-sama" Mizuki said while bowing. The Hokage took a deep breath before speaking again.

"You are all aware of how Uchiha Itachi achieved his ranks. He became a genin at age seven, chuunin at age ten, jounin at age eleven, ANBU at twelve and ANBU captain at thirteen. And you are all aware that he is the one who killed the entire clan of Uchiha with Sasuke being the only survivor and witness to this massacre. I figured that Naruto-kun is quite similar to Itachi in some ways like how he graduated so early from the academy that's why after the Uchiha massacre; I suspected that Naruto might turn up like Itachi if he continues on with his ninja career on such a young age" Sandaime explained.

The older teachers as well as some of the younger ones nodded in understanding. Naruto becoming a mass murderer like the famed Uchiha prodigy is not that far to happen especially with his young heart and mind receiving so much hatred from the villagers of Konoha including themselves. The Hokage continued on speaking.

"Genin is not the official ranking of Uzumaki Naruto. Once at least one of the rookie nine this year achieve the ranked of chuunin, his former status four years ago will be restored but should Konoha needs additional man power, we will call up to him for help. He shall be pulled out of his genin team temporarily until he's not so much needed anymore." An elder teacher raised his hand as if he wanted to ask the Hokage something.

"Yes?" the Hokage said issuing the teacher to speak.

"I'm just wondering if we can know what exactly is Naruto's rank" the teacher inquired making the other teachers look at the Hokage their eyes asking the same question.

"I respect others' secrets. Naruto-kun doesn't want me to tell his current rank to anyone who still doesn't know" the Hokage replied making the teachers sigh in little frustration.

"Well, you all have your jobs. You may take your leave." The academy teachers saluted and left.

_End of Flashback_

The Hokage sighed for the one hundred and first time this day but his frowning face was soon replaced with a smiling one.

'_Well, since everything is going fine, there's no need for me to worry for now_' he thought.

(-------------)

'_The best way for me to gather information about the graduates this year without checking out their profiles is to come earlier than anyone else and read their minds one by one as they enter this classroom_' Hao thought now inside one of the classrooms of the academy.

Hao did change his hairstyle and color back to its original blonde spiky look but he's still wearing the same clothes. The only thing missing is his mask. He's sitting on the chair at the upper corner nearest the window. It is only eight in the morning and the graduates are told to reassemble in their classroom at eight thirty but Hao figured that he should gather some information on his teammates. Since he is also going to meet the other graduates, he thought of collecting information about them as well for there's a possibility that he will encounter some of them in the near future in a combat. And what better way can someone like him to use in information gathering than reading minds?

'_But this is so nostalgic. This is also the same classroom I used seven years ago and this also where I sat. Now, I'm the same classroom and on the same seat_' Hao thought just as when he sensed a presence approaching the classroom doors. The door slid open revealing a black haired boy wearing blue shirt and white shorts. His face seemed entrenched in a permanent scowl as if an irremovable stick was stuck in his butt. Hao took note of the only two words the boy had in his mind.

'_Power, revenge, power, revenge, power, revenge_' he heard the boy's mind speak.

'_No doubt about it. That scowling one is Uchiha Sasuke. His mind is like that of a wild animal. Nothing is existing except for a few that he believes he needs to survive_' Hao commented in his mind. He sensed Sasuke walking towards him.

"You are on my seat" the Uchiha said coolly when he got next to the blonde.

"How can you say? Do you have your name on it?" Hao replied with equal yet different coolness and an easy going smile. Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the sarcastic questions.

"This is the first time I see you. Tell me who you are" Sasuke said though he sounds more like he demanded.

"You sound more like you are demanding me to tell you who I am. Who do you think you are anyway?" Hao replied challengingly. Sasuke's eyes' narrowed even more.

'_This guy has a lot of guts to talk to me that way. It seems that he doesn't have any idea of who I am_' the brunette thought still glaring at the blonde.

"Oh, I do have an idea of who you are. You are Uchiha Sasuke but you shouldn't act all too mighty just because you're the remaining member of your clan in Konoha" Hao replied to his distant cousin's thoughts.

'_Aside from me, that is_' he added in his thoughts. Sasuke's narrowed eyes widened at what he heard but before he can even say or think anything, a loud rumbling sound was heard and it sounded like it's approaching the classroom.

'_Hmm, looks like that I'm going to be save from some more questions by idiots_' Hao thought hearing what the minds of the ones approaching was thinking.

'_I'm the one to seat beside Sasuke-kun!_' was the one thought Hao read.

The door suddenly burst open revealing two girls both approximately aged twelve and both fighting to enter the classroom first as they are stuck in the door. One girl has long pink hair with her forehead protector tied around it acting as a ribbon and wears a blood red dress. The other girl also has long hair but blonde and tied in a ponytail. She has her forehead protector tied around her waist acting like a belt and wears a dark blue dress almost black. Sasuke panicked a little upon sighting the two girls and quickly took the seat at the front of Hao. When the girls finally got themselves off the door, they raced towards the empty seat beside Sasuke.

"I'm the winner!" the pinked haired girl happily declared with fist high in the air.

"Damn you, forehead girl!" the blonde girl cursed but the pink haired one just stuck her tongue at her. The blonde sighed in defeat as she looked for another seat to take. She spotted Hao watching her fight with the other girl. Hao turned his eyes to her, and they at each other for a few seconds. Then he saw something her eyes that made him worry a bit, hearts. In an instant, the blonde girl was on the seat beside the blonde boy faster than the blink of an eye.

"Hi there, cutie. What's your name?" the girl asked sweetly.

'_Wow! She's pretty fast!_' Hao thought a little shock at the speed he witnessed. He cleared his throat before smiling and speaking in his casual voice.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto."

"Naruto-kun it is. My name is Yamanaka Ino. Say, do you want to go on a date?" the girl named Ino asked.

'_And pretty fast to voice out her intentions, too_' Hao/Naruto thought.

"I don't think it's we are going to have enough time for that since we are already genins. We'll be busy in receiving missions" he replied though his smile turned into a little sheepish one. Ino frowned at the reply but her face quickly turned to a curious one.

"Speaking of genins, how come this is the first time I see you here. I didn't even see during the genin exams" she asked but the next one to speak was the pink haired girl.

"So Ino pig, I can see you got a new acquaintance. Have you already gave up your interest for Sasuke-kun and turned your attention to this new guy?" the pink haired girl teased and took a look at the other boy in the classroom. For a while, she was taken aback at his good looks.

'_On second thought, I think he can pass. No! No! No! My one and only is Sasuke-kun!_' she thought shaking her head off just as her inner self agreed.

'**Shannaro!**'

"Oh come on, Naruto-kun. Don't mind this big forehead. Let's just go back to our conversation" Ino said issuing Naruto to turn his attention to her.

'_Actually, I need to mind her even if only for a little because she's my teammate though there's nothing much to mind from her at all_' Naruto replied in his mind as he evaluates his female teammate through her mind, Haruno Sakura being her name. Just then, another rumbling sound, louder than the first one, was heard and it's also approaching the classroom. Naruto took note of the thoughts he heard from ones causing the rumbling noise.

'_I'm going to seat next to Sasuke-kun!_' was the one thought he again heard.

'_More of them?_' he thought eyes widened a bit.

The door again burst open but this time it was almost destroyed due to the number of girls struggling to enter at the same time. One girl managed plucked herself away from the struggling ones but being the one to hold the others on place, they all fell down in one big pile of fan girls. Luckily, none of them were hurt as they all got to stand up and raced again towards Sasuke. But they all stopped again for three reasons: one, the seat beside Sasuke was already taken, two, there's another hot boy just behind Sasuke, and three, the seat beside the other hot boy was also already taken. Luckily again, none of them are as persistent as Ino and Sakura so they all just sighed in frustration and took random seats.

Naruto was the one to sigh next thankful that the other girls were not as much trouble as he expected. Just then, he again heard another thought coming from one person also approaching the classroom. This one didn't seem to be in a rush though.

'_I'm now a genin! Father said that he became a shinobi at a young age that's why I can't see him in the academy. But now that I'm already in duty then there's a chance that I'll be able to talk to him properly_' was the thought he heard. Another girl entered the classroom but one look at her; anyone can tell that she's different from the others. She's wearing a black kimono partnered with a black hakama (Yup, just like what shinigamis were in Bleach) and finished by a black sash and black shinobi sandals. She has two guardless shinobigatana each strapped on both sides of her waist. Her forehead protector was tied around her neck but her most distinguishing feature is her pupilless silver eyes.

'_A Hyuuga, huh? And there's only one of her clan whose age is the same as mine. She's got to be her_' Naruto thought looking intently at the newcomer. The said Hyuuga looked around the classroom to find a nice place to sit on and spotted the black clad boy looking at her. Immediately recognizing who he was, she quickly looked away only to turn her eyes shyly back but with a blush on her face.

'_He's here! I can't believe my luck!_' she thought in excitement but it immediately turned into frustration upon seeing that he already has someone sitting beside him. Giving out a deep breath, she just walked towards the seat nearest to him. Naruto's eyes followed the black clad girl all the way to her seat but this didn't go unnoticed by her.

'_I'm still lucky! He's looking intently at me! Maybe he remembers who I am and has interest in me too_' she thought excitement had returned and stronger than before. Yes, she was lucky as Naruto did have interest in her though not in the same way as she did with him.

'_Hmm, a strong aura surrounds her yet she retains this shy and romantic attitude. Well, I guess that can't be helped with girls reaching puberty_' Naruto thought still evaluating the Hyuuga slowly making the girl beside him furious.

"Naruto-kun!" Ino called out breaking the blonde boy's chain of thoughts.

"Why are you looking at Hinata like that?" Naruto, however, wasn't a bit bothered by the blonde girl's threatening voice as he was hearing more thoughts approaching.

'_Today will be the first day of our shinobi duties. Akamaru and I will surely best the others in terms of mission accomplishments._'

'_This is so troublesome but not being a shinobi is more troublesome as mother always pester me in becoming one._'

'_Nothing's wrong with becoming a shinobi for as long as I can eat properly._'

'……' were some of the thoughts Naruto heard. (The owner of the last one is pretty easy to guess don't you think?)

Pretty soon, the classroom was filled with twelve year old kids, all of which have a different thought in mind, all of which are expecting different things now that they had graduated from the academy. But there are still some things that are similar among them, all of them are anxious and all of them are excited. For someone who's living in a hidden village, being a ninja is the best job and the coolest thing that will ever happen.

The clock stroked eight thirty and the last one to enter the room was a teacher wearing the standard chuunin uniform and of course the forehead protector. The most distinguishing feature about this teacher is his scar across his nose. He also carried a folder which obviously contained important documents. He placed the folder on his work table and opened it before finally speaking.

"Seems to me that all of you are already here" he said looking around the classroom his eyes narrowing at one blonde haired, blue eyed, black clad boy.

"I'm going to the matter at hand as all of you radiate an aura of excitement. The reason why you are called back here is to get your team arrangements meaning you will all be put in a team consisting of three cells and a jounin instructor who will be the one to replace us academy teachers in teaching you the shinobi ways and skills" the teacher declared. The room got a bit noisy as everyone started chattering about the team arrangements.

'_Which means there's a chance for me to get really close to Sasuke-kun!_'

'_Which means there's a chance for me to get really close to either Sasuke-kun and the other hot guy!_'

'_Which means I'll get the chance to talk to him anytime I want!_' Well generally, the single thought every girl has to be in the same team as their crush. As for the boys,

'_Two teammates? They will only slow me down_' was the thought of one big headed Uchiha.

'_I just hope my teammates will not be so troublesome_' thought the laziest kid to ever live.

'……' Just who the hell has this kind of thought?! The teacher spoke again.

"No need to be worried about your soon to be teammates. Hokage-sama arranged the teams so that each one of you will be the best compliment for your other teammates. And so the teams are…" Random names were called until the important ones are mentioned.

"Team seven, Uzumaki Naruto…" Everyone's head perked up wondering about the new name.

"Uzumaki Naruto, can you please stand up as everyone here is unfamiliar with you. They could at least see your face" the teacher requested and Naruto complied. Immediately, the girls who didn't get into a team yet prayed to their worshipped god that they will be in the same team as the new guy. The other girls just cursed for their bad luck.

"Thank you. I will repeat. Team seven will be Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke…" the girls prayed even harder.

"…and Haruno Sakura." The teacher finished making the girls except for the mentioned one turn into stones.

'**Shannaro! Two hot guys in the same team as me! Oh yeah!**' inner Sakura said punching her fist into the air while the real Sakura is jumping on her seat.

'_What a drag! But at least I get to know his name. So it's Uzumaki Naruto, huh?_' was the happy yet more frustrated thought of the lone Hyuuga in the room. The teacher cleared his throat to silence the kids again.

"Team eight will be Aburame Shino, Hyuuga Hinata and Inuzuka Kiba. Team nine is still operational so the team will be team ten which will be Akimichi Chouji, Nara Shikamaru and Yamanaka Ino" the teacher finished.

'_Oh no! Not them again! I freaking tired of being with them!_' thought Ino almost strangling her own hair.

'_It's that troublesome Ino again, huh?_' thought Shikamaru sighing.

'_At least they are the ones I know the most_' thought Chouji.

"Well that's all. For now, you can leave and be together with your teammates to get to know them more but be sure to be back here at twelve noon as you still have to meet your jounin instructors" the teacher finished and left the classroom.

(-------------)

This one's a bit late but I'll try to update as soon as possible.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 9: Teammates

"Well seeing that we approximately have three and a half hours before noon, I say we take a walk around the village, have some snacks and get to know each other more" Naruto suggested casually now leaning on his chair and table, his head between his two teammates'. Sakura and Sasuke looked at him indifferently before looking at each other.

"That's a great idea Sasuke-kun! Naruto-kun is right. We should get to know each other more. We have plenty of time on our hands" Sakura agreed squealing very much like a child.

"And give me a good reason why I should know more about you" Sasuke inquired indifference not living his voice and face.

"There are tons of reasons why you should know us more and the main reason is, well, obviously we are teammates and teammates should know each other as much as possible in order for our teamwork to be at its peak" Naruto replied.

"Teamwork? Teammates? Hmf, like I need one. I know from the very start that teammates will only slow me down and you two will make no difference" the Uchiha said arrogantly as he started to stand up and walk away. Sakura's head stooped down from her crush's harsh words while Naruto only got his eyes narrowed at the brunette.

"Though I hate to admit it, we might really be only a liability for Sasuke-kun in this team. He is the rookie genin of this year after all aside from the fact that he is a genius from the Uchiha clan. No one from our class even dared to challenge him" Sakura explained her head still hanging low.

"No one dared to challenge him, huh? Then why would anyone challenge him in a one-on-one fight if it's clear that he's stronger? Why not anyone form a big group and challenge him in a big rumble? That way he won't get that much cocky to refuse our friendly invitation or anyone else's" Naruto suggested earning some harsh glares from one hundred percent loyal Sasuke fan girls who heard him including Sakura.

"What? That way, he'll learn how to become humble and friendly with anyone. You're pampering of him only makes his arrogance and pride swell that he's just considering all you of you nothing more than rats. If you ask me, I call that inhuman. So do you prefer to be treated like insects by that stuck up bastard or do you prefer to teach him some human lessons and then later become his good friends? Maybe I should also include in the choices if you want to be called fools by those smart enough to see that that Uchiha Sasuke isn't so much of a guy just because you are ignoring his inhuman insults while continuing to worship him like a god though he is really not" Naruto said making the girls hang their heads low in shame. (He should also listen to his words right? Though maybe this world had already changed him for the better or not.) However, Sakura didn't even seemed to be affected by her blonde teammate's, she considered, bad words to her crush. She even managed to lift up a proud smirk.

"Many guys had already tried to do that because they are so much jealous of Sasuke-kun's good looks, excellent skills and most importantly, popularity with girls but none of them succeeded and only ended up with severely battered bodies. Sasuke-kun can beat up a dozen other boys almost as easily as he does with one" Sakura said taking pride on her crush very much like a mother to her child. The other girls' admiration for their idol was restored as their faces now held the same smirks as the pink haired girl.

"Forehead girl is right, Naruto-kun so even if you know how he fights or if he knows how you fight, there will be no difference with if all of you don't have any idea how each other fights. I'm sorry to say all of those words, Naruto-kun but that's the truth" Ino explained a bit sympathetic even for her now former rival in love.

"So you girls are saying that just because Sasuke is the genin rookie of this year and is a genius member of the Uchiha clan, he is already the strongest in this shinobi world. Give me a break" Naruto said making the girls' glares on him intensify.

"How can you say that when he wasn't even involved in an actual combat or did he already had?" he asked trying to challenge them to give him a story of their beloved Uchiha's epic combat. Silence was the only thing heard from the fan girls.

"I knew it and besides no one in this room knows me including that Uchiha Sasuke so no one can really say if he is indeed stronger than me" the blonde continued earning some curious looks this time from the boys.

"That actually makes sense" a little rough voice said. Ino, Naruto and Sakura turned to the source of the voice and saw a boy with red marks on his cheeks.

"Sorry to tell you this but I've been eavesdropping on your conversation since you started talking about that Sasuke-bastard."

"Don't you dare call Sasuke-kun a bastard, Kiba" Sakura angrily demanded as the other fan girls nodded. They all started to advance towards Kiba while radiating a fair amount of killer intent ready to beat the brains out of the fool who insulted their idol. However, Naruto was fast enough to stop them dead on their tracks using tactically placed wires. The girls were now looked like helpless flies trapped in a spider's web.

"You should cool down a bit, girls and start to enhance your self-control for its not good for a ninja to loose his/her calm" the black clad boy said holding the girls firm their places. They glared at him again but calmed down a bit nonetheless.

"This is what I've been talking about. Just because someone called your beloved Sasuke-kun a bastard, you are ready to kill him/her. I believe that's not enough reason for you to loose your self-control and kill someone. Also, I believe this is another form of pampering which caused that Uchiha's ego to become such a monstrosity, thus becoming a reason why he's so antisocial and always ignoring you. Have any of you noticed that?" Naruto asked almost shouting while looking at the trapped girls one by one. They hanged their heads a bit low again realizing their stupidity.

"Besides, somebody else's insults on you or your loved one should not affect your sense of judgement. Why should you care if someone calls you or your loved one a bastard or a bitch when you know for yourself that you or your loved one is not? Your anger for the insults will only make the insults even worse. You should already know this stuff as you are all academy graduates. I suggest you all to mature now or else you'll never survive in a battlefield" Naruto continued making the girls hang their heads even lower. Seeing that they have somewhat calmed down, Naruto decided to release them.

"Jeez, thanks for the help, man. By the way I'm Inuzuka Kiba" the boy with the red marks said handing out his right hand for a shake.

"No problem. I'm Uzumaki Naruto" Naruto replied shaking hands with the hooded boy.

"I believe that you have your own reasons for calling Sasuke a bastard. If you don't then perhaps I can let the girls to really kill you" he continued with a little threat in his voice.

"I do have my reasons. You saw how arrogant and how mighty that bastard considers himself. I just hate those kinds of guys. Just because he is the last remaining Uchiha in the village, he acts like he's above us all. But I like you just as much as I am curious of you. You said it yourself; none of us know who you really are so none of us can say if the bastard Uchiha is really stronger than you so I'm hoping, in behalf of all those who hate the bastard, if you do us a favor" Kiba said with a little pleading tone.

"Maybe I can do you a favor for as long as it is reasonable and perhaps, if I will also benefit from it" Naruto replied.

"Great! Then can you challenge the Uchiha into a fight?" Kiba asked hopefully.

"Well, I'll surely benefit from that since I'm going to know how he fights but I'm not too sure if it's reasonable. I mean, I can't just fight him just to know his capabilities" Naruto replied scratching the top of his head a little and smiling sheepishly. Kiba just sighed in frustration while the Sasuke fan girls chuckled.

"You are just saying that you are afraid of fighting Sasuke-kun because you know that he is indeed stronger than you" Sakura said with a wicked smirk.

"Just like what I said earlier, I will not allow any of your insults to affect my sense of judgement" Naruto replied waving the girls off before turning back to Kiba.

"You know Kiba; I'm not someone who picks a fight just because I hate the person I choose to pick a fight on. But maybe I can give Sasuke a reason to give me a reason to fight" he said then looked out of the window to see the topic of their conversation walking on the academy yards. He smirked wickedly as he stepped on the windowsill and jumping off the window. He landed right in front of Sasuke who in turn narrowed his eyes on him.

"What do you want, dead last?" the Uchiha said with the ever so arrogant voice of his. Naruto's smirk became even more wicked though Sasuke didn't get to see it because of the high collar covering the lower part of the face of the blonde. But his blue eyes told everything as it showed more wickedness than any part of the body.

"Dead last? The last thing that I remember the teacher say about my name is Uzumaki Naruto. What gave you the idea that I am a dead last?" Naruto asked innocently.

"Because you _are_ a dead last" Sasuke replied simply.

"I'm asking you what gave you the idea to call me dead last. Don't just repeat what you already said or else the academy might take away your title of being the rookie genin of this year for not being able to answer a simple question. Well if you ask me, you don't really deserve the title since you can't answer my simple question in first place" Naruto said with a little mocking voice. Sasuke's reaction was very predictable as little annoyance was shown in his entire feature, little but still annoyance.

"Anyway" Naruto spoke again this time his voice turned into a casual one.

"I'm not here to exchange insults with you, Sasuke. I just want us, including Sakura, to get to know each other. That's all I want."

"Just like what I said earlier, I don't need to know anything about you. I don't need teammates as they will only slow me down" was Sasuke's ignorant reply.

"Whether you like it or not Sasuke, we are your teammates and there's nothing you can do about it even if you go to the Hokage's office and ask Sandaime himself to not give you teammates. Bear with it Sasuke. If you really believe that we will slow you down, fine by me for it is your belief. And if we will really slow you down then it's better to know us more so that in the future, we can avoid acts that will hinder each one of us" Naruto continued in persuading the stubborn Uchiha.

"All I need to know is you two will only slow me down and there's nothing you can do about it even if I know all about you including your secrets. Now get out of the way and stop pestering me" Sasuke demanded and started to walk away. As he gets closer to the blonde, he intentionally bumped his left shoulder on Naruto's left shoulder. Naruto only sighed before turning around and speaking again, this time with a challenging tone to his voice.

"You are one hell of a knucklehead, Uchiha. If you really think that Sakura and I will only slow you down and that there's nothing we can do about it and that I'm a dead last just like what you called me twice now, then how about showing us a proof."

Sasuke stopped walking catching the challenge Naruto wanted to imply in his voice and words. He turned his head around to look at the black clad boy.

"You are the stubborn one, dead last. Fine, if you really want proof of your weakness, I'll show it to you" Sasuke said before blurring out of sight and reappearing at Naruto's back.

Sasuke brought up his right leg to deliver a kick aiming for Naruto's head. Naruto, without even turning around, merely brought up his right arm lazily connecting it with Sasuke's shin effectively blocking the kick. Sasuke's eyes widen in surprise on how easily the blonde followed up with his speed and blocked his attack without even flinching. Gritting his teeth a little, he followed up another attack by flipping upwards and delivering an axe kick aiming for his opponent's top of the head.

Naruto, however, again lazily raised his right hand to catch the descending leg and again, without looking at Sasuke. He started to swing his arm around intending to make his opponent loose his balance before throwing him away. It took the Uchiha a while before regaining his bearings but early enough so that instead of crashing on the ground hard, he landed gracefully on both his feet. He looked back at the blonde with his teeth grinding at each other harder than even before.

"Admirable speed at least for someone as young as you but for someone to be called a genius, you are pretty slow" Naruto taunted topped with a mocking smirk. Sasuke gritted his teeth even harder in annoyance but later managed to replace it with a smirk of his own though forcefully.

"To tell you the truth, you surprised for easily following up with my speed but you must know, that wasn't my real speed" he said arrogantly.

"You only sputter words. I want proofs" Naruto replied.

"As you wish" Sasuke talked back and charged again.

Coming right at front of Naruto, Sasuke used his left foot as a brake and at the same time as a pivot to turn clockwise and delivered his right hand for a backhand strike aiming for the face. Naruto used his right hand again to catch the attack. Sasuke followed up with a straight punch aiming for the same spot. Naruto pushed Sasuke's right hand away to catch the left one using again his right hand.

Assured of the firm grip his opponent had on his hand, the black haired boy flipped again upwards again trying to deliver an axe kick. The blonde, however, pushed the Uchiha's left hand back with enough force to drive the latter's whole body away along with it making the attempted kick miss a few inches away from the face.

Landing again on the ground, Sasuke charged again and rained Naruto with a flurry of punches and kicks. Each strike is well aimed and timed. However for someone who has great experience in combat like the young Uzumaki, it's very easy to evade or block such an attack with merely one hand. An attack, no matter how well planned and well timed, is easy to counter if the execution is slow.

For an average twelve year old shinobi or kunichi, Uchiha Sasuke's flurry of attacks is fast and strong and very hard to block, dodge much less to counter. But for one Asakura Hao, now known as Uzumaki Naruto, these attacks are slower than a sloth and weaker than a fly.

People are starting to slowly gather around the schoolyard curious on what commotion that is happening. They saw Uchiha Sasuke, their most beloved and precious person in the village, fighting against a black clad someone who's on the same age as him. They wondered who the foolish kid is who picked up a fight with who they believe to be the strongest genin there is. Thankfully this foolish kid isn't moving too much that it's easy even for the untrained eye to catch up the details he has on his body.

Bright blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. There's no doubt about it according to everyone who recognized Sasuke's opponent. It is the Kyuubi jinchuriki. Upon realizing that it is their most hated being the Uchiha is fighting, the adult spectators started a loud cheer. Half of them gave out cheers of joy for Sasuke as he is finally ending the reign of terror the demon kid has brought. The other half gave out cheers of hatred directed towards the Naruto shouting on how much they want him dead. However, it doesn't seem like the combatants are paying them any heed as their speed isn't even reducing.

Up towards the series of windows of a classroom located in the third floor of the academy building, loud cheers for the Uchiha were heard as well. Only this time, it's coming from Sasuke's fan girls. They shouted happily seeing how well their idol is attacking but not noticing how well the new comer is defending against the attacks. Only those from the neutral side, namely the boys, and from the newly established Naruto fans club side noticed how much angry, annoyed and desperate Sasuke was becoming. Oh, was it mentioned that Hyuuga Hinata is a part of the Naruto fans club too?

"That new comer can surely fight. He's doing well in defending from Sasuke's attack with only one hand" Kiba commented his eyes glued on what seemed for him to be one-sided fight between Naruto and Sasuke.

"Knowing and not knowing your opponent is very crucial for a shinobi. When you don't have any idea on how your opponent fights or how strong he/she is, you will be forced to constantly guess on what battle tactics and strategies you should use against him/her until you figured out his/her fighting style and strength" Shikamaru also commented with seriousness which isn't supposed to be always in his voice. He had to admit to himself that this new guy had taken his interest as he was shown to be paying a great deal of attention to the occurring fight.

"Also, if you underestimate your opponent just from the weakness you see in his/her outer appearance; he/she will use the opportunity to defeat you while you are not using all of your power. At the same time when you realize that he/she is not as weak as you had anticipated, you will also be annoyed and angry to yourself and your opponent for the foolishness that you had done. Hence, you will loose your self-control and your fighting skills will be dulled by your anger thus allowing again the opponent to use this opportunity to defeat you should he/she didn't manage to in the first place" Hinata said watching the fight just as intently as everyone else is.

"Should this keeps on going, Sasuke will drain himself off of his strength allowing that Uzumaki Naruto to have an easy victory" Shino commented but was unfortunately heard by Sasuke's fan girls.

"What do you mean Sasuke-kun will loose?! Can't you see that he his winning?! Look! That blonde haired opponent of his is only defending from Sasuke-kun's attack. No one can win from just defending" Sakura countered ready to jump on the sunglasses wearing boy.

"Yes, it is true that no one can win from just defending, Sakura-san. But if your opponent attacks just as aggressive as Sasuke-san, he will just wear out quickly and if you managed to defend yourself well until that happens, victory will be an easy catch" Hinata countered back.

"You troublesome girls are only looking on how good your _Sasuke-kun_ fights. Why don't you take a look on how good that Naruto guy fight as well and how Sasuke is getting irritated" Shikamaru said pointing a finger on the two fighting boys. True to his words, Sasuke's fan girls saw what the boys had been talking about. They started to worry and pray that their idol will be alright.

Sasuke is now getting really irritated, more like annoyed and angry. Even some of the academy teachers can't manage to keep up with his taijutsu and even some more of them, he can defeat. However, this Uzumaki Naruto, this dead last that he calls, is easily defending from his punches and kicks using only one hand. He looks more like he's not even trying to defend!

With one desperate move, the black haired boy focused all of his strength to his leg and blurred out of sight again reappearing again behind the blonde. He shifted all of his strength to his right fist and aimed a straight punch to his opponent's back. Naruto, however, again followed up with his movements and ducked with perfect timing evading the attack. He pivoted on his left foot turning counterclockwise and delivered an open palm strike to the Uchiha's chest sending him to the air.

From the academy windows, Hinata witnessed and recognized the last attack that was made by her object of admiration. Her eyes were slightly widened in disbelief.

'_That was Hakke Kusho (Eight Trigrams Empty Palm)! How come he knows how to perform it when he isn't from my clan_' she thought in wonder.

'_One doesn't really need to be from the Hyuuga clan or have some bloodline limit like the Byakugan to perform such an attack. Proper chakra control, release and aiming were the only things needed_' Naruto replied in his mind hearing what Hinata had thought.

Sasuke flew quite a few meters in the air before landing hard on the ground back first. He rolled a few times before skidding to a stop. He tried to stand up but got some hard time as he noticed that his body is wobbly.

'_It feels like that attack's purpose is not to hurt me but drain my strength temporarily. I feel like a powerful shockwave had gone through my body_' he thought while trying to stabilize his shaking body. He looked back at his opponent with an angry face.

'_Damn it! After all of those attacks, he didn't even budge from his spot. Who is this dead last anyway? He's getting really into my nerves._'

Gritting his teeth again, Sasuke formed exactly six hand seals ending with the tiger seal before inhaling a great deal of air and focusing all of the chakra he can to his chest. Naruto raised his left eyebrow recognizing the jutsu.

'_Well, he should at least know that jutsu if he really is a genius_' he thought while focusing chakra on his right hand.

'_Try stopping this attack while still staying at your place!_' Sasuke thought and cried out his jutsu.

"Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu!"

A fireball three meters in diameter shot out from his mouth and rushed towards the seemingly unfazed blonde. Naruto, in response, brought up his right hand and touch the side of the fireball upon it reaching him. He then pushed it away to his side. (Just like how Kyoraku deflected Chad's attack in Bleach.) The fireball hit a wall creating a huge explosion.

Sasuke's eyes widen in disbelief as well as everyone who was watching. None of them knows anyone who can dare to use his/her bare hand to deflect a katon jutsu. Naruto only smirked at them and answered their unspoken question.

"A trick like that isn't really that much surprising. With the proper application of the right amount of chakra, one can deflect or even change the course or trajectory or certain jutsus of course without sustaining any injuries himself/herself" he explained.

Getting more annoyed than ever, Sasuke performed more hand seals between gritted teeth.

"Tried deflecting this one, you bastard!" he shouted and cried out again another jutsu.

"Katon Hosenka no jutsu!"

Exactly a dozen smaller fireballs shout out of his mouth all rushing at Naruto. Naruto again used the same principle earlier with added speed to his hand to deflect all of the fireballs. More explosions occurred as some of the fireballs hit the walls, some hit the ground and even some hit the academy building making every spectators running for their lives..

But Sasuke didn't seem to be over with his attack for he is already in mid air shooting more fireballs towards Naruto. Naruto again deflected them easily. The fireballs, however, hit the ground a few meters around him creating a ring of smoke and fire which blocks his vision of his surroundings. This is what Sasuke wanted to happen. Landing on the ground facing on what he believed to be his opponent's backside, he formed four more hand seals.

'_This jutsu is still incomplete for me and it is best to use if I have the Sharingan or my opponent is immobilized. I also exhaust all of my chakra from just using it once but this is the strongest jutsu I know and the only way for me to win. Let's see if he can deflect this one!_' he thought and cried out his last jutsu.

"Katon: Ryuka no jutsu!"

Flames ignited around Sasuke before forming a huge stream of fire which shot towards the center of the ring of fire and smoke where Naruto was thought to be still standing. The biggest explosion for the day was heard and rocked the entire schoolyard. Spectators came back to see what had just happened. Everyone's eyes were wide opened and their mouths agape shocked on how intense the fight between twelve year old boys had become.

A few seconds later, the adults finally came back from their shocks and started to shout cheers for what their thought to be the victory of Uchiha Sasuke and the death of the demon child. The children, however, were more like terrified than shocked. Even Sasuke's fan girls are in deafening silence as this is the first time they saw someone killed, or so they thought.

"H-Hey, did Sasuke really kill that Naruto guy?" Kiba managed to stutter his question after recovering from shock.

"P-Probably. That jutsu may miss him but no one can hope to survive if they are in the vicinity of that blast" Shikamaru responded a little shaky but not as much as Ino or any other of Naruto's fan girls.

Hinata, however, looked far too calm at the situation. Maybe she saw something others didn't for she had her Byakugan activated.

"Naruto-kun is alright. Don't worry everyone. His clothes are not even dirtied" she told her fellow children. They all looked at her even more surprised than before but a little relieved as no one was really killed. They believed the female Hyuuga and her Byakugan. After all, the can see everything, can't it?

Sasuke panted heavily hands on his knees obviously tired after firing his most powerful katon jutsu. He's looking at the area clouded by smoke as a small smile slowly formed from his lips. He gave out a light chuckle almost as weak as a whisper. It then grew louder until it became a full grown laughter.

"You fought well for a dead last. But a dead last will always be a dead last. There's no way for you in the very first place to win against someone like me" he said loud enough to be heard by anyone watching. He then proceeded to laugh again.

"What are you talking about, Sasuke and why are you laughing so hard?" a casual voice echoed from within the cloud of smoke. Immediately, Sasuke's laugh was halted as well as the cheers of the adult spectators shocked on how familiar the voice was. They all looked back at the area of the explosion and saw a shadowy figure slowly starting to form as the smoke started to clear.

All of the smoke finally cleared and Naruto was revealed still standing without even any dirt on his black clad form. He's standing on the center of a big hole created by Sasuke's Katon: Ryuka no jutsu but the ground he's standing on is still intact. Through the blonde's eyes, one can tell that he is smirking even though his lips are covered by his high collar. Everyone's eyes widen even more, except for one Hyuuga Hinata, not believing that he did survive the final attack without even gaining any injuries.

"Pretty impressive! I guess the Uchihas really lived to their title as the flame masters of Konoha. Even someone as young as you had performed a high level Katon jutsu. Allow me to show you my admiration" Naruto said with a bow.

Though everyone will just see this act as mockery, Naruto was indeed impressed. Everyone should just take a closer look in his eyes to see the truth.

"Well then" he continued. Everyone tensed up again expecting the blonde boy to proceed in beating Sasuke. The adults are getting ready to jump in to the scene to interfere as well as Sasuke's fan girls.

"I believe I already learned everything I need about you. So if you let me, I shall take my leave" Naruto said politely and turned around. He jumped outside the crater and walked back towards the academy building.

"Hold your horses, Uzumaki Naruto" someone called making Naruto stop.

(------------)

A little cliffhanger but not that much. I just didn't expect this chapter to be that long.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Foolish Actions

"Hold your horses Uzumaki Naruto!" a voice called making Naruto stop. He turned to his left and saw a group of academy teachers jogging towards him irritancy and hatred evident in their faces mostly in their eyes.

'_Heh, they must be the new ones here. No wonder they are not showing any respect towards me_' Naruto thought chuckling a little. The teachers stopped right at front of the blonde boy and heard his light laugh. They wondered to themselves about the funny thing Naruto was laughing at. Nevertheless, they narrowed their eyes even more.

"You have no reason to laugh, young man and definitely, you have no reason to just walk away from here. Would you just look around and see the destruction you've caused?" Mizuki said opening his right palm towards the surroundings. Being the most talkative, free willed and the one holding the most hatred towards Naruto, he will be always the first one to talk harshly towards the demon child.

Naruto looked around him and definitely the damage done not only to the schoolyards but also to the walls as well as the main building is undeniable. Some parts of the walls had crumbled and the entrance to the academy is _widened _due to Naruto deflecting Sasuke's first Katon jutsu. Craters also littered the entire schoolyard though they are not so big; they are not so small either.

The main academy building, though not the one that's most wrecked, seemed to be the one to be the most damaged being the most significant infrastructure in the academy. Three holes each as big as an adult German shepherd (It's not like there's no dog resembling a German shepherd in the Naruto world, right?) were punctured on three of the building's supporting pillars though thankfully they are not enough to make the building shake neither enough to make it crumble in a medium earthquake. A classroom on the first floor was also almost hit and burned to a crisp by a stray fireball. Thankfully, the fireball hit the windowsill instead indicated by the shattered glasses lying around and by the irregular hole just below where the windows should be.

But probably the biggest _attraction_ and the biggest damage was the crater where Naruto was standing in its center during the entire duration of his fight with Sasuke. He was exactly standing on the undamaged part of the ground which is still standing firm in the center of the crater. It was like a tower that was built as a marker or remembrance in the center of a crater created by a meteor which fell out of the sky.

"How are you going to pay responsibility for all of this damaged that you caused?" Mizuki asked again.

"Oh don't worry, Mizuki-_sensei_" Naruto replied his voice as casual as ever but turning into sarcasm in the word sensei. He was thankful since Mizuki or any of the teachers didn't caught it

"I will pay half of the price needed to repair all of this wreckage. I saved a lot of money for the pass few years just incase an emergency occurred but I didn't expect to use it in something like this" he continued while looking around reevaluating the damage.

"Only half of the price? You should pay for the whole damn repairs!" Mizuki responded like correcting the blonde's sentence. His accompanying teachers nodded in agreement.

"Pay for all of it?! You must be retarded! I'm not the one who shot all of those fireballs!" Naruto countered with a raised eyebrow and an expression on the face which seemed to ask the teachers '_Are you all idiots?_'

"You are the one who deflected all of those fireballs towards the academy's infrastructures" Mizuki countered back.

"I have nothing to deflect if Sasuke didn't shoot those fireballs. I will only pay for one half and you should make him pay for the other. He's an Uchiha so therefore, he's a definite rich kid also hence, and he will have no problem in paying half of it. Heck, he will have no problem in paying all of it!" Naruto replied back.

"You provoke him into a fight thus forcing him to use Katon jutsus that you were forced to deflect. And why did you choose to deflect it instead of evading it or letting all of those fireballs hit you? This village is better of without a demon like you!" Mizuki said finally loosing a bit of his sanity from so much hatred he had.

"That's not the right way to talk to a kid like me especially to a fellow shinobi" Naruto talked back seriousness filling his tone and face but he became casual again upon continuing to speak.

"Look here. First, I was only trying to make him talk to us with our other teammate, Haruno Sakura, so that we can learn something more with each other. Second, it's his fault that he gets provoke so easily by just a few words. I mean seriously, what did you guys teach him before he graduated? How he should look down on all people around him? How he should be treating everyone like bloody insects and inferior to him? He's practically doing exactly that. For him, none of us is significant and you…" he said pointing at the teachers.

"are none of the exceptions because you are definitely included. I'm sure you are insightful enough to see his arrogance since it's far too goddamn BIG to be ignored so easily even if you are looking up to him. You did become his teachers after all for more or less five years."

The academy teachers gritted their teeth becoming more annoyed and more annoyed at the blonde boy's words. However, they just can't help but release the tension on their shoulders not because they want to but because they realized that he was right. They have to admit to themselves that he was right. Everything that he said was right. And it is all proven by their experiences during the entire duration of Sasuke's stay in the academy.

For a long five years, none of the academy teachers were called sensei by Sasuke. Heck, none of them get any respect from him. He only treated them as sources of knowledge, sources of strength, sources of power and he shall use that knowledge, that strength, that power for revenge. It doesn't take a genius to know what Sasuke's intentions are in his life. He was after all, only an eight year old child when he witnessed his entire family, his entire clan to be wiped out right in the very front of his eyes. And that young of a child is easily traumatized and easily moved, easily carried, easily dictated by his emotions, his sorrows, his anger. Those emotions, those sorrows, those anger shall give him but only one goal in life, vengeance.

Yes, the great Uchiha Sasuke treated them like materials, like things, like objects that when they have no use for him, he will just throw them away and ignore them like trash. Yet none of them pay any heed to this abuse, to this discrimination. Heck none of noticed that they are abused, that they are discriminated. It's their own fault anyway since they are looking at him as a very high individual being the only one to survive the Uchiha clan's massacre, being the only one they see as hope that will raise the clan again, that will raise Konoha again to its former strength, to its former power, to its former glory. Being rare after all, is being precious thus the reason for the pampering.

These are the things that the teachers didn't notice in Uchiha Sasuke even though they are his teachers for the last five years. Yet Uzumaki Naruto immediately saw it in one glance. They were asking themselves, how could he do that?

"I see now that you are seeing what you should have seen before all of these. But don't worry for you are not the only ones at fault for pampering the Uchiha. You are with the entire of this village" Naruto spoke again turning around to face everyone who were still watching all wearing the same looks of worry for their precious Uchiha and the same looks of hatred for the demon boy, namely him.

The teachers' minds momentarily came back to the world of the living as Naruto's words made them remember their seniors' advices to them.

'_The boy is not really dangerous but if you really can't see him that way, it doesn't really matter. He his not only strong and intelligent but also wise and insightful very much like an old man. Perhaps it's because of the treatment he received and is receiving from the villagers and from us, of course. Perhaps, no, that definitely made him so mature for that young age of his. At least you should see him under that light._'

Indeed, they were right like they always were they have to admit. They gave out a deep breath before speaking again.

"Alright, we got your point now, boy" the man to Mizuki's right spoke.

"But still, just paying fro the damaged you have done is not enough. You two shall be subjected to disciplinary actions for starting such a meaningless fight. Your jounin instructor should be the one doing this but since your meeting is still this coming noon, we shall take over temporarily and take you the Hokage's office" the man to Mizuki's left said and started to walk towards the still panting Sasuke.

"There's really no need for you to do that since I'm already here" an aging voice said coming from the academy gates. They turned to the source of the voice and saw Sandaime Hokage walking casually towards them while looking at damage attained by the academy.

"Jeez, this place sure became a mess" he mentioned just as he approaches the teachers small group.

"Hokage-sama" the teachers called out bowing respectfully at Konoha's leader.

"I overheard your words that you are taking Naruto and Sasuke to my office and seeing what had happened here, I believe I don't have to be oriented of the reasons" the Hokage said while still looking around

"I'm leaving the disciplinary actions to their jounin instructor since there's only about three more hours before they meet him. And about the payment for the repairs here, if the two boys are willing to pay for it using the money they have then they shall be allowed. If they are not then I'll just have to take away thirty percent off the payment they will receive for every mission that they will accomplish. That will be until the whole cost for the repairs are paid."

"You two do hear me, right?" the Hokage asked the two boys making his voice a bit louder for Sasuke to hear.

"Yeah, yeah, I get you" was Naruto's response waving his right hand at his front. The Hokage looked at Sasuke asking for his reply but no words were muttered from his mouth nor were movements made by his head for he was too tired to speak or even shake his head. However, his face did hold a look of confirmation making the Hokage nod in understanding.

"Call in one or two medic nins to check on Sasuke" the Hokage ordered the teacher nearest to the Uchiha.

"Isn't it better that I carry him to the hospital, Hokage-sama?" the teacher asked.

"Sure, that is if you can" the Hokage replied seemingly reminding him about Sasuke's outlook to him and his fellow teachers that Naruto told them about earlier.

'_Damn it! Why did that boy have to tell us about that? This makes things harder for us in approaching Sasuke_' the teacher thought gritting his teeth a little in slight annoyance about Naruto's wisdom and disappointment in Sasuke's attitude. In the end, he only managed to stifle a nod before blurring out of sight only to come back a little while later with two medic nins in tow.

Now right after he disappeared to fetch the medic nins, Naruto walked towards the Hokage and dragged him away to a distance great enough for anyone not to hear what he wanted to say. But he did only talk in a light voice just in case that someone in the place had ears sharp enough to hear their words.

"Let our jounin instructor give us the disciplinary actions, huh? Like anyone in this village have any plans in disciplining Sasuke but they do have plans in disciplining me. Big time that is" Naruto said.

"I know what you mean, Naruto-kun. That's why I already prepared a displinary action of my own for you two and you'll know that pretty soon enough" the Hokage replied with a light chuckle reminiscing of his plans for the two boys.

Naruto, being able to read minds, widened his eyes a little from what the Hokage was planning.

'_This old man surely knows the punishment fitting to anyone_' he thought and narrowed his eyes back.

"For now, Naruto-kun, I suggest you not to approach Sasuke until you or your jounin instructor thinks that it is okay. His pride was severely wounded by that fight and will most likely challenge you to another fight. Your other teammate, Sakura, may be involved as well and since it's her, she'll surely get involved."

"Speaking of your other teammate, it will also be wise if you don't approach her as well. She may be smart but she's also the greatest of Sasuke's fan girls. His defeat might have already affected her just as bad and as much as he did" the Hokage advised.

"So you are actually considering sacrificing our future harmony and teamwork for that Uchiha's arrogance and pride?" Naruto asked narrowing his eyes.

"I'm giving you this advice _for_ you three's future harmony and teamwork. Listen, harmony and teamwork will never form between teammates if they hate each other just like in the case of you three" the Hokage replied before asking.

"Do you get me?"

"Yeah, yeah, that's pretty easy to get" Naruto replied.

Mizuki, however, didn't keep away his suspicious glare at Naruto. He did really have the greatest hatred for the boy and the least affected by his wise words. Only a little part of him was worried that Sasuke was only treating him like trash. It was so small that it was easily neglected. The larger part of him still believes, still trusts, and still admires what he considered the great Uchiha. He believed that what Naruto had just said was merely a diversionary tactic for him to escape punishment or on a larger scale, an influential speech that will make everyone side with him. So when Naruto and the Hokage finished their conversation and the latter started to walk away, Mizuki followed up to him to discuss matters he had in mind.

"Hokage-sama, are you really serious about giving Sasuke the disciplinary actions that he shouldn't receive?" he asked.

"I thought I already told you that I'm leaving that matter to their jounin instructor" the Hokage replied as if trying to evade the question.

"That's not what I meant, Hokage-sama. I mean Sasuke shouldn't be punished for the incident that occurred here. It's that dem… I mean Naruto that should be punished solely. He's the true reason why this commotion broke out!" Mizuki pushed his want.

"Naruto did say that he only want to know something about Sasuke, right? And being the antisocial and arrogant boy that he is, maybe Sasuke said something that made Naruto provoke him to fight" the Hokage replied.

"_Maybe_?" Mizuki implied the word that he thought the Hokage shouldn't have said.

"Yes, maybe but not just it, most probably. You know Sasuke's attitude" the Hokage replied before continuing.

"Besides, Sasuke is already a shinobi and I know he learned from you that shinobis should not be provoked by their enemies' words for that will merely blind their sense of judgement and dull their skills. Therefore, all that had happened here is partially Sasuke's fault."

"The same principle applies to you too, Mizuki-kun. But in your case, you shouldn't be provoked and be affected by you emotions, specifically your hatred, in making decisions. Use your logical thinking more" the Hokage finished in the form of an advice before finally walking away from the academy.

Mizuki gritted his teeth and balled his hands into fists annoyed on what he observed to be diminishing hatred Naruto was getting. Nonetheless, he forced upon a wicked smirk on his lips thinking of a good way of executing his plan, a plan that he guaranteed to succeed.

'_Nevertheless, my plan for tonight will never change and things are going according to my favor_' he thought and chuckled lightly enough for anyone not to hear it.

(-------------)

Ten in the morning, just about an hour after the commotion Naruto and Sasuke had caused in the academy. Quite unbelievably, things were quiet and peaceful unlike what most expected to be chaos caused this time by the collision of Naruto and Sasuke's fans club. Luckily they are more focused in following their respective idols rather than bang their heads with each other. This gave Sasuke more problems than just mere chakra exhaustion as his fan girls are fighting over each other in who should take care of him until he recovers. So far this is the only rumble occurring in Konoha and it is small enough to be neglected easily.

Speaking of Sasuke, the medic nins who took care of him were merciful enough to give him a couple of shots of soldier pills for his chakra to recover instantly so that he can run his ass away from his fans club. The medic nins, however, hoped that the soldier pills gave Sasuke enough chakra to run for at least two more hours.

The other graduates were obedient enough to follow Iruka's advice of bonding with their respective teammates. Some of them, however, got bored out of their wits easily and just decided to go on to their individual stuff. They will just have to meet later at noontime when their assigned jounin instructor will arrive to fetch them.

Naruto also followed the Hokage's advice of not associating with his teammates for now. This left him with nothing to do for a freaking three longs hours therefore, just as expected, he was bored out of his mind. He actually envied Sasuke since he got something to do even though it's just running away from his fan girls. Fortunately or unfortunately for Naruto, his own fans club was just newly established therefore the members were still shy to approach him hence the absence of another chase.

'_Maybe I should go and associate with them_' Naruto thought considering what he shouldn't actually do.

'_Nah, that shouldn't be considered as it will only cause more complicated problems in the future_' he thought giving up the idea after realizing that he might end up like Sasuke or possibly even worse.

'_Then what should I do to kill time?_' he asked himself reminiscing.

With the reishi (spirit sight), Naruto heard two individuals talking on top of the Hokage monument while passing by. Both of them possessed distinctive minds filled with nothing but despise and wickedness. The only difference between them was their ages and the level of darkness possessing them. But the bewildering thing is that the younger one's mind was more wicked than the elder one.

Naruto recognized that these two minds were so familiar so he decided to eavesdrop. After all, eavesdropping on people who have such minds is not wrong. It's compulsory. Who knows what kinds of hellish plans these kinds of people are devising? Preventing their evil intentions starts with learning what they are intending to do.

Naruto crawled stealthily up at the back of the Hokage monument and found a nice place to eavesdrop. His luck was quite plenty that day since he also got a good view of the two individuals talking. He confirmed one of the two to be one of the academy teachers, Mizuki, and the other one to be his teammate, Sasuke.

'_Eh? That's definitely them alright. They are the only ones in this village who possess those kinds of mind patterns. I wonder what they are talking about_' Naruto thought and focused more on using the reishi.

"Sasuke, your fight with Naruto was certainly pathetic" Mizuki said trying to anger to anger the Uchiha.

"Is that the only reason why you saved me from those stupid girls who know nothing but fawn on me? Is your only intention is to insult me, huh Mizuki?" Sasuke replied rudely. His lack of respect for his former teacher was undeniable from his tone.

"No, Sasuke, that's not what I want. I only want to help you avenge your defeat to Naruto" Mizuki said raising his hands on front of him in defense.

"I was not defeated by that dead last! There's no way I can be defeated by someone like him!" Sasuke said getting really irritated as the conversation goes on.

'_That's right I can't be defeated by someone like him. No! I can't be defeated by anyone! I have to be the strongest in order for me to kill him!_' he thought clenching his fists and gritting his teeth.

"Alright, alright, Sasuke, you are right. You are not defeated by Naruto" Mizuki said trying to calm his former student down.

"But you can't also say that you won against him" he continued making Sasuke look at him with narrowed eyes.

"Look, how can a shinobi say that he won a battle when he didn't even land a hit on the enemy?" he asked making Sasuke look at his feet but still kept his annoyed face.

"Your ninjutsus are pretty strong and your mastery of katon jutsus is even better than mine. But since Naruto easily deflected all of your attacks, I figured that they are still not enough. Say, I know I scroll that contains the most powerful jutsus known here in Konoha" Mizuki continued making Sasuke look at him again but this time with curious and interested eyes.

"When I say that that scroll contains all of the most powerful jutsus that means it also contains kinjutsus. If you learn a jutsu or two from that scroll and use it on your next fight against Naruto, your win is most probable if not guaranteed" Mizuki said as Sasuke's interest grows even more.

"I'm sure Naruto's ability to deflect justsus is limited to the lower level ones. He can't possibly deflect any jutsus from that scroll."

"Where can I find this scroll?" Sasuke demanded.

"The scroll is called the Scroll of Forbidden Seals and you can find it there" Mizuki replied pointing at the Hokage tower which was just right next to where they were, the Hokage monument. Sasuke looked at the Hokage tower with widened eyes before turning back to Mizuki narrowing his eyes back in suspicion.

"I have no idea about that forbidden scroll that you are talking about from the start but from what you told me, it's obviously a very important item. Therefore, no one can possibly take it away so easily without due permission from the Hokage himself and I don't think that he will just give it to me even if I beg on my knees. So the obviously the other way to get that scroll is to steal it. Is that what you are trying to imply?" Sasuke asked getting more and more suspicious at Mizuki.

"Of course. Is there any other way?" Mizuki replied smirking wickedly.

"Are you trying to make a fool out of me?!" Sasuke retorted loudly anger filling him up.

"Should anyone get caught in getting or using any important items from the Hokage tower without the proper authority, punishment will no doubt be delivered. Is that what you truly want to happen to me?!"

"It's true that I want you to steal that scroll but failure to do so doesn't mean that you will be punished. This is yet another _test_ given especially to every rookie genin every year as a way to know if they are already worthy of the rank chuunin. If you steal the forbidden scroll without being caught and learning at least one jutsu from it, you'll be promoted to chuunin. What can you say about it? It's like hitting two birds with one stone. You'll become stronger by widening your jutsu arsenal and you'll be promoted at the same time" Mizuki replied and continued on explaining.

Sasuke looked at Mizuki studying the adult's features. A small part of him was suspicious of the man but this part was easily overwhelmed by the other larger part. With his obsession for power and revenge and Mizuki's very convincing words, he slowly falls for Mizuki's lies. He looked again at the Hokage tower with eyes full of determination.

'_Power, that scroll contains the power that I am seeking. I shall get my hands on that scroll and learn the jutsu that will defeat that dead last Naruto and finally kill Itachi_' Sasuke thought.

"So what is your answer, Sasuke?" Mizuki asked again although he already knew the answer.

"When will this test begin?" Sasuke asked.

(-------------)

"Eh? Mizuki has that kind of plan?" the Hokage asked to Naruto who had reported what he witnessed at the Hokage Mountain.

"I don't know if he has any other intentions aside from gaining those jutsu from the forbidden scroll but I do know that he has an accomplice or two. There's no way that a chuunin know the exact location of that item much less how to break the seal encasing it. But I have the feeling that we will know the truth tonight when Sasuke meets with Mizuki again" Naruto said.

"I guess there's no avoiding this matter. How troublesome. Very well, then I shall prepare a warrant of arrest and you will be the one to deliver it to Mizuki and whoever his accomplices are. I'm authorizing you to arrest these criminals as well. You won't need any backup for sure so I'm not going to send you any. You can choose any method of approach you want for this case but I'm _ordering_ you not to kill _any_ of the criminals. I do feel the same anxiety as you. Something's fishy around here" the Hokage said contemplating on the matter at hand.

"So when can I get the warrant of arrest?" Naruto asked as if trying to leave immediately.

"It will take some time. Come back here after your meeting with your jounin instructor" the Hokage replied.

'_Even before he pick us/Naruto up, the warrant of arrest will surely be ready_' Naruto and Sandaime thought simultaneously.

(-------------)

I'm planning on making another version of this fic but don't expect it to be out so soon or any other updates. My eyes are getting on bad shape. I need to rest them every now and then or else my eyeglasses will be back. I really hate my eyeglasses! Don't worry. I will not give up this fic.


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